Simple stretching could fight pre-eclampsia
Stretching exercises may be more effective at reducing the risk of pre-eclampsia than walking is for pregnant women who have already experienced the condition and who don’t follow a workout routine, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill School of Nursing.
The finding is contrary to existing studies and literature that suggest that rigorous exercise is the most effective way to reduce the risk of preeclampsia, says SeonAe Yeo, PhD, an associate professor with a specialty in women’s health at the UNC School of Nursing and the study’s lead researcher.
Pre-eclampsia, or pregnancy-induced hypertension, is a condition that affects up to 8% of pregnancies every year and is among the leading causes of maternal and fetal illness and death worldwide. It’s characterized by a marked increase in blood pressure during pregnancy and may be accompanied by swelling and kidney problems. It’s diagnosed when blood pressure readings taken twice in six hours read 140/90 or higher.
“These results seemingly contradict the conventional wisdom that walking is the best protection pregnant women have against developing pre-eclampsia,” Yeo says. “But for women who weren’t physically active before becoming pregnant and who have experienced pre-eclampsia with a previous pregnancy, that might not be the case.”
Yeo’s study included 79 women with a previous pre-eclampsia diagnosis and a sedentary lifestyle. Women were randomly assigned to either the walking group (41 women) or the stretching group (38 women) during the 18th week of pregnancy. The walking group was asked to exercise for 40 minutes five times a week at moderate intensity, following the program recommended by the Surgeon General and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Stretchers were also asked to perform slow, non-aerobic muscle movements with a 40-minute video fives times a week. Frequency and duration of exercise decreased in both groups as the pregnancy progressed.
At the end of pregnancy, almost 15% of women in the walking group had developed pre-eclampsia – but less than 5% of the stretching group developed the condition. While the incidence of pre-eclampsia in the walking group was similar to that reported in high-risk pregnancies, the frequency among the stretching group was similar to rates seen among the general population.
“Clearly, walking doesn’t have a harmful effect during pregnancy,” Yeo says. “But for women who are at high risk for pre-eclampsia, our results may suggest that stretching exercises may have a protective effect against the condition.”
Stretching could provide protection against pre-eclampsia because stretchers produced more transferrin than walkers did, Yeo explains. Transferrin is a plasma protein that transports iron through the blood and protects against oxidative stress on the body.
Yeo says these results could help prenatal care providers recommend different exercise plans based on an individual pregnant woman’s needs and abilities. Following an active exercise plan is good, she said, but only if a pregnant woman is truly able to do it. For some who already have a risk of pre-eclampsia, stretching might be a better option.