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Erschienen in:
01.03.2015 | Maternal-Fetal Medicine
The effect of physical exercise on postpartum fitness, hormone and lipid levels: a randomized controlled trial in primiparous, lactating women
Erschienen in: Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics | Ausgabe 3/2015
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Purpose
To evaluate the effect of an exercise training program combining low-impact dance aerobic, resistance and stretching exercise on physical fitness, hormone and lipid levels of postpartum, primiparous, lactating women.
Methods
Thirty seven primiparous, lactating women were randomly assigned at 4−6 weeks postpartum to either follow an exercise training program of 50−60 min aerobic, strengthening and stretching exercise, 3 days a week, for 12 weeks (interventional group; n = 20) or no training program at all (control group; n = 17). The following parameters were measured at baseline and 12 weeks later: (1) for evaluation of physical fitness: VO2max, muscular endurance, joint mobility and body fat; (2) for evaluation of the lipidemic profile: triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL levels, and (3) levels of hormones associated with lactation: prolactin, estradiol, cortisol, TSH, fT3 and fT4.
Results
After completion of the exercise training program, comparisons between the interventional and the control group showed statistically significant mean changes in VO2max (p = 0.003), muscular endurance of the upper extremities (p < 0.001), and the abdomen (p < 0.001), flexibility (p = 0.042), and body fat (p = 0.007). There were no significant differences between the two groups in mean changes of lipid and hormone levels.
Conclusion
Implementation of a low-impact exercise training program appears to improve physical fitness of postpartum women, while it does not seem to affect lipid levels and lactation-associated hormone levels. Hence, implementation of an exercise training program combining low-impact dance aerobic, resistance and stretching exercise is feasible in postpartum, primiparous, lactating women.