Background Federal exercise suggestions recommend at least 150 short minutes of moderate-intensity workout weekly during pregnancy. during being pregnant. Five percent got past due preterm delivery 29 got cesarean deliveries and 20% reported hospitalization during being pregnant. In multivariable evaluation regular physical exercise during being pregnant had not been connected with past due preterm delivery or hospitalization during being pregnant. Physical activity of 150 or more minutes/week was associated with reduced odds of cesarean Rabbit Polyclonal to Cytochrome P450 17A1. delivery compared with less than 60 minutes/week but the finding was not statistically significant (adjusted OR 0.86 95 CI 0.69 – 1.07). Conclusion In the First Baby Study physical activity was not associated with late preterm birth or hospitalizations and may be associated with decreased odds of cesarean delivery. Introduction and Background In 2008 the RO4987655 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released physical activity guidelines recommending that pregnant women participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week if they are not already highly active or doing vigorous intensity activity (Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee 2008 Pregnant women RO4987655 who habitually engage in vigorous-intensity aerobic activity or who are highly active can continue those levels of physical activity during pregnancy. These federal guidelines are in line with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 2002 guidelines that RO4987655 recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most if not all days of the week in the absence of contraindications (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 2002 These physical activity guidelines were developed due to accumulating evidence that exercise is beneficial for both the mother and fetus during pregnancy. Women who engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day in their last trimester of pregnancy have better cardiovascular fitness than less active women (Melzer et al. 2010 Physical activity reduces the risk of certain medical complications associated with pregnancy-specifically physical activity is associated with a lower likelihood of hypertensive complications during pregnancy such as preeclampsia (Martin & Brunner Huber 2010 Saftlas Logsden-Sackett Wang Woolson & Bracken 2004 Sorensen et al. 2003 Furthermore RO4987655 prenatal physical activity is associated with reduced risk for excessive gestational weight gain (Kraschnewski et al. 2013 Stuebe Oken & Gillman 2009 which leads to postpartum weight retention and long-term obesity (Amorim Rossner Neovius Lourenco & Linne 2007 Linne Dye Barkeling & Rossner 2003 Mamun et al. 2010 Rooney Schauberger & Mathiason 2005 While common belief suggests that physical activity during pregnancy could increase the risk for pregnancy complications the federal guidelines point out that moderate-intensity activity in healthy women during pregnancy does not increase the risk of low birthweight (Gavard & Artal 2008 Sternfeld Quesenberry Eskenazi & Newman 1995 or preterm labor (Barakat Stirling & Lucia 2008 Hatch Levin Shu & Susser 1998 In fact there may even be a decreased risk of preterm labor with greater leisure time physical activity during pregnancy (Domingues Barros & Matijasevich 2008 Likewise it has previously been observed that aerobic exercise does not negatively impact birth weight preterm birth or neonatal well-being (Haakstad & Bo 2011 Exercise during pregnancy has also been shown to influence risk of cesarean delivery. For example as early as 1962 Erdelyi found a 50% decreased risk of cesarean section among Hungarian athletes compared to non-athletes (Erdelyi 1962 Subsequent research done by Clapp indicated that recreational athletes who continued to exercise throughout pregnancy had a lower frequency of cesarean RO4987655 section and vaginal operative delivery (Clapp 1990 Moreover Hall and Kaufmann reported that the incidence of cesarean delivery was 6.7% in women who participated in high levels of exercise compared to 28.1% in sedentary women (Hall & Kaufmann 1987 More recent studies outside of the U.S. have also suggested that physical activity reduces the risk of operative delivery (Barakat Pelaez Lopez Montejo & Coteron 2012 Dumith Domingues Mendoza-Sassi & Cesar 2012 However a larger and more recent U.S. study that included a greater proportion of overweight and obese.