Exercise and Pregnancy: Randomized Clinical Trial

Universidade Estadual da Paraiba

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Gestational Diabetes; Preeclampsia

Treatments: Other: Physical exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00641550

EXERC01

Details and patient eligibility

About

The effects of physical exercise on pregnancy remain to be elucidated. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted to study the impact of exercise on maternal and perinatal outcomes. Our hypothesis is that physical exercise reduces preeclampsia incidence and improves birthweight when started early in pregnancy, with no impact on pregnancy duration, Apgar scores and neonatal complications.

Full description

The study will include low risk pregnant women randomized to practice physical exercise beginning at 13 weeks, 20 weeks or no exercise group.

The objectives are:

1. To describe and compare biological and obstetrical variables.
2. To study doppler flow velocimetry indexes.
3. To determine the association between physical exercise and maternal complications: preeclampsia, preterm labor, gestational diabetes and weight gain in pregnancy.
4. To determine the association between physical exercise and perinatal outcomes: Apgar scores, birthweight, admission at intensive neonatal care unit, body composition and neonatal complications.

Enrollment: 188 estimated patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 10 to 50 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Gestational age < 13 weeks
• Single pregnancy
• Alive fetus
• No previous practice of physical activity

Exclusion criteria

• Smoking
• Chronic maternal diseases
• Placenta praevia
• History of preterm labor
• Bleeding

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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188 participants in 3 patient groups

2

Experimental group

Description:

Pregnant women starting to practice physical exercise at 13 weeks(Walking moderate activity)

Treatment:

Other: Physical exercise

3

Experimental group

Description:

Pregnant women starting exercise at 20 weeks

Treatment:

Other: Physical exercise

1

No Intervention group

Description:

Pregnant women without exercise practice.