Study reveals that exercise during pregnancy aids fetal development

NEW ORLEANS According to a study called the "Effects of Maternal Exercise on Fetal Breathing Movements," researchers determined that exercise during pregnancy may benefit fetal development.

Specifically, fetal heart rate was significantly lower in a control exercise group during both breathing and non-breathing movement periods; and fetal short-term and overall heart rate variability were higher in the exercise group during breathing movements.

“These findings suggest a potential benefit of maternal exercise on fetal development because of the link between fetal breathing movements and the developing autonomic nervous system,” stated Linda May of the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

The researchers are planning to next explore the use exercise as a potential intervention to improve short and long term outcomes in children born to women at risk for gestational diabetes.

The researchers will discuss their findings at the 122nd Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society, which is part of the Experimental Biology 2009 scientific conference in New Orleans April 18 through 22.