American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Volume 201, Issue 6 , Pages 590.e1-590.e6, December 2009

Type of delivery is not affected by light resistance and toning exercise training during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial

  • Ruben Barakat, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte–INEF, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
    • ,
  • Jonatan R. Ruiz, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Biosciences and Nutrition at NOVUM, Unit for Preventive Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
    • ,
  • James R. Stirling, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte–INEF, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
    • ,
  • María Zakynthinaki, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas, CSIC-UAM-UC3M–UCM, Madrid, Spain
    • ,
  • Alejandro Lucia, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Received 6 November 2008; received in revised form 5 December 2008; accepted 1 June 2009. published online 16 July 2009.

Objective

We examined the effect of light-intensity resistance exercise training that is performed during the second and third trimester of pregnancy by previously sedentary and healthy women on the type of delivery and on the dilation, expulsion, and childbirth time.

Study Design

We randomly assigned 160 sedentary women to either a training (n = 80) or a control (n = 80) group. We recorded several maternal and newborn characteristics, the type of delivery (normal, instrumental, or cesarean), and dilation, expulsion, and childbirth time.

Results

The percentage of women who had normal, instrumental, or cesarean delivery was similar in the training (70.8%, 13.9%, and 15.3%, respectively) and control (71.4%, 12.9%, and 15.7%, respectively) groups. The mean dilation, expulsion, and childbirth time did not differ between groups.

Conclusion

Light-intensity resistance training that is performed over the second and third trimester of pregnancy does not affect the type of delivery.

Key words: cesarean delivery, resistance training, vaginal delivery

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 Reprints not available from the authors.

 This work was supported in part by the program I3 2006 and by the postdoctoral research program EX-2007-1124, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain.

 The first 2 authors contributed equally to the preparation of this manuscript.

 Cite this article as: Barakat R, Ruiz JR, Stirling JR, et al. Type of delivery is not affected by light resistance and toning exercise training during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2009;201:590.e1-6.

PII: S0002-9378(09)00624-3

doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2009.06.004

American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Volume 201, Issue 6 , Pages 590.e1-590.e6, December 2009

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