Prenatal dance activity enhances foetal and postnatal cognitive and motor development.

Introduction: No research has examined the impact of any physical-artistic-cognitive activity on foetal neurodevelopment. The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of a unique prenatal dance activity in pre- and postnatal cognitive and motor development as a complementary health care practice. Methods: 26 clinically uncomplicated primiparas and multiparas with singleton pregnancies and their later born children were examined in this prospective study at the University of Pécs, Hungary. The activity group participated in supervised, 60-min, twice-weekly, moderate-intensity prenatal dance classes for 19.56 ± 3.97 weeks, whereas the control group did not. We determined the developmental ages of their children with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development in both groups at 5 weeks of age and in the activity group at 33 months of age. Results: Prenatal dance activity did not cause any adverse outcomes. Infants in the activity group had significantly higher mean developmental ages than the control group regarding cognitive skills (P < 0.001), receptive (P < 0.001) and expressive communication (P = 0.007), fine (P < 0.001) and gross motor (P = 0.001). As toddlers their mean developmental ages were significantly higher than their mean calendar age regarding cognitive skills (P = 0.001), receptive (P = 0.001) and expressive communication (P = 0.001), fine (P = 0.002) and gross motor (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Our results confirm the safe implementation of this prenatal dance activity and the more advanced cognitive and motor development of children in the activity group as infants compared to the control group and as toddlers compared to the norm. These results offer a novel approach to dance in pre- and postnatal clinical practice.

Pre-Treatment Physical Activity Could Positively Influence Pregnancy Rates in IVF despite the Induced Oxidative Stress: A Cohort Study on Salivary 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine.

(1) Background: This study was designed to define whether pretreatment habitual physical activity (PA)-induced oxidative stress (OS) influences outcome measures by using 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in saliva samples of patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). (2) Method: In this cohort study, samples were obtained from 26 patients (age: 34.6 ± 5.5 years, BMI: 25.3 ± 5.1, infertility: 51.0 ± 28.7 months) before the treatment and a follow-up of outcome measures of IVF/ICSI. The 8-OHdG was evaluated by Abcam's ELISA (ab201734), PA patterns by GPAQ-H and ActiGraph GT3X; (3) Results: The number of matured oocytes was positively influenced by the GPAQ-H recreation MET (R2 = 0.367, F = 10.994, p = 0.004; ß = 0.005, p = 0.004, B Constant = 4.604) and a positive significant relationship (R2 = 0.757, F = 17.692, p < 0.001, B Constant = 1.342) was found with GPAQ-H recreational PA MET (ß = 0.004, p < 0.001), and Grade 1 embryos and higher very vigorous activity (GT3X) were accompanied (R2 = 0.958, F = 408.479, p < 0.001) by higher ß-hCG levels (ß = 63.703, p ≤ 0.001). Unanticipated positive correlation between 8-OHdG and ß-hCG level (R = 0.467, p = 0.028) was noticed, and there were significant differences in 8-OHdG in biochemical pregnancies (pregnant: 54.82 ± 35.56 ng/mL, non-pregnant: 30.06 ± 10.40 ng/mL, p = 0.022) as well. (4) Conclusions: Pretreatment PA could positively influence reproductive performance in IVF/ICSI despite the induced OS. However, a more sensitive biomarker and the recommended amount of activity should be further investigated.