Physically active pregnant women have a better chance of improving their child’s heart health while still in the womb than those who do not exercise when pregnant.

Moms-to-be long have been told by their doctors and baby-related books and websites that staying fit during pregnancy is good for both mother and child. When it was reported a couple of years back that exercising strengthens a fetus’ heart control, many pregnant women took heed and hit the ground running, literally. Some signed up for prenatal yoga classes; others found new ways to incorporate low-impact aerobic activities into their daily lives.

But, for those pregnant women out there who might not be feeling all that motivated, or anything but energized, new research being reported this week could tip the scales: It turns out that exercising during pregnancy might be the earliest intervention strategy available to you for improving your child”s heart health after birth.


Findings will show that efforts focused on improving health need to start during pregnancy rather than in childhood,” May, an exercise physiologist and anatomist at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences who has been heading up a series of studies on fetal heart development for the past four years. “Most of the focus today is on school-age children, but interventions should be focused long before that.”


The women”s aerobic activity levels ranged from power walking to running. Some of the more active participants also lifted weights and practiced yoga.

“The system that controls heart function is known to improve with regular aerobic exercise,” “and improved heart control function is evidence of a healthy cardiovascular system and overall health. Not only did the mothers” exercise help maintain and improve their own health, but it set their babies up for a healthier start.”






Keywords: pregnant women, heart control,yoga classes,cardiovascular system ,Kathleen Gustafson, research assistant professor ,Hoglund Brain Imaging Center at KUMC; Henry Yeh, a statistician at KUMC; Alan Glaros, a statistician at KCUMB, Richard Suminski, an exercise physiologist at KCUMB