Regular exercise during pregnancy and postpartum leads to health benefits for mother and child. Inactivity during pregnancy and after delivery is now treated as risky behavior. Physically active pregnant women significantly less often suffer from, among others, gestational diabetes, excessive weight gain, lipids disorders, hypertension, preeclampsia, depressive symptoms, functional and structural disorders, including stress urinary incontinence, back pain or diastasis recti abdominis (DRA). Prenatal physical activity reduces the risk of premature delivery and miscarriage, fetal macrosomia, complications in labor or the risk of metabolic disorders in children.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has become one of the most popular trends in the fitness sector. The effectiveness of HIIT on a number of health indicators has been proven in various populations but limited data are available on HIIT during pregnancy.
The first hypothesis is that the HIIT, implemented during pregnancy and after childbirth, as a stronger exercise stimulus, will have a better impact on selected biological and psychological parameters of mothers, as well as on selected health parameters of their children, compared to the MICT (moderate intensity continuous training). Therefore, it promises better preventive effects on pregnancy complications and ailments as well as non-communicable diseases occurring in these populations. In the second hypothesis, it was assumed that HIIT and MICT implemented during pregnancy and after childbirth, tailored to the specific needs of the perinatal period, will not differ in the effectiveness of maintaining normal functional parameters in women, including prevention of urinary incontinence, back pain, DRA, etc.
Pregnant women who apply for the study will be divided into three groups: those attending the HIIT, MICT or educational programs. During the study, the participants will be under standard obstetric care. As comparative groups, non-pregnant women will be also recruited.
The investigators will collect data on selected biological, functional and psychological parameters in the study women at each trimester of pregnancy, during the puerperium and one year after childbirth. The data from the medical documentation on the course of childbirth and the assessment of the new-born, as well as the results of preventive examinations in the study women's children aged one, two, four and six years will be also analyzed.