The Study
Effects of prenatal exercise on gestational weight gain, obstetric and neonatal outcomes: FitMum randomized controlled trial
This study tried to see if two types of exercise programs helped pregnant women stay healthier, but it didn't find any clear difference. It's like testing two different ways to water plants and finding they both grew the same — but we didn't water them enough, so we can't say for sure if better watering would have helped.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested if getting pregnant women to exercise regularly or talk about being active helped them gain less weight and have healthier babies.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 571 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even with structured help, most women still didn't get enough exercise — so the interventions didn't work well in real life.
- 2Women who exercised 3 times a week or got 7 counseling sessions gained about the same weight (15 kg) as those who got regular care.
- 3No differences in baby weight, diabetes, or delivery problems.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Year
2023
Authors
C. Roland, Signe dP. Knudsen, S. Alomairah, A. Jessen, I. Jensen, Nina Brændstrup, S. Molsted, A. K. Jensen, B. Stallknecht, J. Bendix, Tine D. Clausen, E. Løkkegaard
Related Content
Claims (5)
For healthy pregnant women with a normal weight, doing structured exercise or getting motivational counseling doesn't seem to change their chances of getting gestational diabetes, high blood pressure during pregnancy, having a baby too early, or the baby's weight at birth.
Even when pregnant women with a normal weight are given exercise programs or motivation tips, most still don't get enough physical activity during pregnancy — they're still moving less than the recommended amount each week.
Scientists have created a smart math tool that can guess how much weight a pregnant person gains by the time they're due—even if their weight records are incomplete or they gave birth early or late—so doctors can compare results more fairly across different studies.
For healthy pregnant women who aren't very active, doing structured exercise three times a week plus some coaching about staying active doesn't seem to help them gain less weight by the time they give birth, compared to just getting regular prenatal care.
Doing exercise during pregnancy doesn't seem to lower the chances of needing a C-section, forceps, or heavy bleeding after birth, at least for healthy pregnant women with a normal weight.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.