Women who exercise during pregnancy feel healthier

January 01, 0001

Women who exercise during pregnancy feel healthier

These Spanish authors conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the effect of moderate physical activity that is performed by healthy women during their entire pregnancy on their perception of health status. They included 80 sedentary women and assigned them randomly to either an exercise group (n = 40) or a control group (n = 40). Maternal perception of health status and several pregnancy outcomes were recorded.

They found: "Significant differences were found between study groups in the percentage of women who perceived their health status as ‘very good’; the values that corresponded to the exercise group (n = 18; 54.5%) were better than those of the control group (n = 9; 27.3%). In addition, the women of the exercise group gained less weight (11,885 g) than those of the control group (13,903 g)."

The authors concluded: "A moderate physical activity program that is performed over the first, second, and third trimester of pregnancy improves the maternal perception of health status."

Not surprising, but nice to demonstrate.


For the full abstract, click here.

Am J Obstet Gynecol 204:402.e1-402.e7 © 2011 to Mosby, Inc.
Exercise during pregnancy improves maternal health perception: a randomized controlled trial. Ruben Barakat, Mireia Pelaez, Rocio Montejo, Maria Luaces, Maria Zakynthinaki. Correspondence to Dr. Zakynthinaki: [email protected]

Category: W. Pregnancy, Family Planning. Keywords: pregnancy, sedentary, exercise, health perception, randomized controlled trial, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Linda French, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 31 May 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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