Maternal Exercise Throughout Gestation and Fetal Development

Abstract

Initial research established the safety and efficacy of maternal exercise during pregnancy for mother and even the placenta. But what about baby? The next logical progression of research interest is what effect maternal exercise has on the fetus and its development. In order to investigate this further, research will need to control for factors that are known to influence activity state of the fetus, such as time of day, or recordings, as well as time since last maternal meal/snack. It is suggested that acute or chronic maternal exercise does not impact the fetal activity state. Though it appeared that acute maternal exercise may affect fetal breathing movements, many factors were not controlled. To further elucidate, follow-up studies focused on exposure to regular maternal exercise throughout gestation found no evidence of fetal distress or lack of oxygen throughout the pregnancy. The plethora of research clearly shows that the fetal heart is able to respond during acute bouts of maternal exercise. The effects of this response were further illuminated by a study of chronic exposure to maternal exercise. Fetal heart outcomes due to regular maternal exercise are similar to adult heart response to exercise training. Whether fetal motor activity is influenced by regular maternal exercise is an area that still needs further study. Lastly, the evidence of fetal nervous system development points to properly advancing gestation and possibly a more advanced trajectory. Overall, fetal development is not adversely affected from exposure to maternal exercise.