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Prenatal exercise lowers risks of C-sections, higher birth weights

Date:
May 12, 2015
Source:
University of Alberta
Summary:
Pregnant women who exercise can significantly lower the risk of undergoing cesarean sections and giving birth to large babies, a study has found. Prenatal exercise has been suggested to be a means to prevent childhood obesity through a "normalization" in birth weight (ie. reducing the risk of having a large baby at birth).
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Pregnant women who exercise can significantly lower the risk of undergoing Caesarean sections and giving birth to large babies, a University of Alberta study has found.

Prenatal exercise has been suggested to be a means to prevent childhood obesity through a "normalization" in birth weight (ie. reducing the risk of having a large baby at birth). University of Alberta researchers conducted a meta-analysis to analyze 28 randomized control studies encompassing 5,322 women that looked at the influence of maternal exercise on baby outcomes.

"We found that women who exercised had a 31 per cent reduction in the risk of having a large baby without changing the risk of having a small baby or an earlier baby," said lead researcher Margie Davenport, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation. "Further, the risk of having a Caesarean section was reduced by 20 per cent." The findings, recently published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, are important because babies who are born large tend to be heavier as children and into adulthood.


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Materials provided by University of Alberta. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Henry W. Wiebe, Normand G. Boulé, Radha Chari, Margie H. Davenport. The Effect of Supervised Prenatal Exercise on Fetal Growth. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2015; 125 (5): 1185 DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000000801

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University of Alberta. "Prenatal exercise lowers risks of C-sections, higher birth weights." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 May 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150512124144.htm>.
University of Alberta. (2015, May 12). Prenatal exercise lowers risks of C-sections, higher birth weights. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150512124144.htm
University of Alberta. "Prenatal exercise lowers risks of C-sections, higher birth weights." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150512124144.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

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