effects of regular exercise on pregnancy outcome

Most women who report increased levels of physical activity are not at an increased risk of preterm delivery or reduced intrauterine growth. This study was conducted to look into the safety and effects of regularly timed aerobic exercises during pregnancy on both the mother and the neonate. A prospective, case-control study was done on 120 healthy pregnant women in their first trimester. The data were collected in the prenatal outpatient care, labor and delivery rooms of a university-based Obstetrics Department. After completing basic information forms, the pregnant women were educated on the specific exercises in 8 stages throughout the pregnancy. Sixty-three patients presenting for delivery without any history of physical exercise were selected as the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding their occupation. The exercising group experienced significantly decreased durations of labor. There was no significant difference in neonatal birth weight or apgar scores. There were a significant decreased number of assisted deliveries in the exercising group. Exercise during pregnancy shortens the duration of the second stage of labor and reduces the risk of assisted delivery while is safe for the neonate too

Prepregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain and their association with some pregnancy outcomes

Weight gain during pregnancy for women with normal Body Mass Index [BMI] before pregnancy has been reported to be 11.5-16.0 Kg/m2 by IOM and supported by several authors. This study was carried out to determine the relationship between pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain and pregnancy outcome. In 476 pregnant women, BMI was categorized and weight gain was divided into less than normal and higher than normal groups based on Institute of Medicine [IOM] recommendations. Women with normal weight gain had better pregnancy outcomes. The incidence of low birth weight was higher among underweight women and those with low gestational weight gain. Overweight women and those with high gestational weight gain had a higher rate of cesarean delivery and postpartum hemorrhage. There was also a significant difference between the BMI early postpartum hemorrhage, method of delivery, neonatal weight, nausea, vomiting and weight gain during pregnancy. Women gained weight according to recommendations had good pregnancy outcome in relation to weight, lengths and head chest circumferences of the neonate and methods of delivery and post partum hemorrhage. The findings presented here indicate that prenatal care providers should consider women with abnormal prepregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain at an increased risk unconditionally and that they need special care to avoid the pregnancy-associated complications forthwith