Exercise FITT-V during pregnancy: Association with birth outcomes

Background: Prenatal exercise improves birth outcomes, but research into exercise dose-response effects is limited. Methods: This study is a retrospective, secondary analysis of pooled data from three blinded, prospective, randomized controlled trials. Prenatal exercise frequency, intensity, type, time, and volume (FITT-V) were assessed in supervised sessions throughout pregnancy. Gestational age (GA), neonatal resting heart rate (rHR), morphometrics (body circumferences, weight-to-length and ponderal index) Apgar and reflex scores, and placental measures were obtained at birth. Stepwise regressions and Pearson correlations determined associations between FITT-V and birth outcomes. Results: Prenatal exercise frequency reduces ponderal index (R-2 = 0.15, F = 2.76, p = .05) and increased total number of reflexes present at birth (R-2 = 0.24, F = 7.89, p < .001), while exercise intensity was related to greater gestational age and birth length (R-2 = 0.08, F = 3.14; R-2 = 0.12, F = 3.86, respectively; both p = .04); exercise weekly volume was associated with shorter hospital stay (R-2 = 0.24, F = 4.73, p = .01). Furthermore, exercise type was associated with placenta size (R-2 = 0.47, F = 3.51, p = .01). Conclusions: Prenatal exercise is positively related to birth and placental outcomes in a dose-dependent manner.