TOPLINE:

Among women who had a pregnancy with preeclampsia, those who exercised regularly had better cardiovascular function before conceiving again than those who did not exercise and were less likely to develop the condition in the next pregnancy.

METHODOLOGY:

• This prospective cohort study examined whether an aerobic exercise program practiced between pregnancies improved cardiovascular health and reduced the risk for recurrence of preeclampsia in women with a history of the condition.
• Researchers included 256 women with normal blood pressure and without obesity who had preeclampsia before 34 weeks gestation and were planning another pregnancy. Women were recruited at two hospitals in Rome between 2017 and 2023.
• All women were advised to perform moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking or cycling, for up to an hour at least twice weekly starting about 6 months after their first pregnancy.
• Echocardiography was used to assess heart structure and function before the exercise recommendations and again about 1 year later before the next pregnancy.
• Women were followed through their next pregnancy to measure outcomes of infants and to evaluate the risk for recurrent preeclampsia.

TAKEAWAY:

• Overall, 82 women followed the exercise program and 174 did not (mean ages, 33 years and 34 years, respectively).
• After 12-18 months, women who exercised had better cardiovascular measures than those who did not, including higher stroke volume and cardiac output, lower vascular resistance, and improved myocardial strain (P < .05 for all).
• Preeclampsia recurred in 14.6% of women who exercised compared with 27.6% of those who did not, corresponding to a 47% relative risk reduction (P = .031).
• Babies born to women who exercised were less likely to have low birth weight than those born to women who did not exercise (P = .004).

IN PRACTICE:

“Aerobic exercise performed between pregnancies may substantially improve the cardiovascular profile of women with a history of preeclampsia, thereby reducing the risk of recurrences,” the researchers of the study wrote. “Exercise counseling should be integrated into postpartum care for women with prior preeclampsia.”

SOURCE:

The study was led by Gian Paolo Novelli, MD, PhD, and Marco Silvestrini, MD, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy. It was published online on February 12 in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

LIMITATIONS:

The study excluded women with obesity or hypertension and those using assisted reproduction. Women chose whether to exercise, which may have introduced selection bias. Exercise adherence was also self-reported.

DISCLOSURES:

The authors received no funding for this study. They reported having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.