Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health
8602 112 Street T6G 2E1 Edmonton, AB, Canada

Pregnancy is an incredible time where your body has to quickly adapt to support the growing baby. Some of the most incredible changes happen to your cardiovascular system (heart, arteries and veins). Want to learn more? Watch our short video below!! https://youtu.be/RtQyy_K76QY

***NEW in-person study looking at High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) during pregnancy*** The study aims to improve our current understanding of the effects of high-intensity exercise during pregnancy on both mother and baby. This study is being conducted by Jenna Wowdzia, a CSEP clinical exercise physiologist and master student at the PPPH. You may be eligible to participate if you are:... Over the age of 18 at least 20 weeks of gestation able to come for in-person exercise tests at the University of Alberta (we follow strict COVID protocols). If you are interested in learning more, please contact Jenna at: Link: https://redcap.ualberta.ca/surveys/?s=RKYMHF4LLM Email: [email protected] Study ID: PRO 00103630 Interval versus Continuous Exercise During Pregnancy Time commitment: ~ 3 hours PI: Dr. Margie Davenport

How does pregnancy affect multiple sclerosis? Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition that largely affects young women of reproductive age, but our understanding of MS and pregnancy is still limited. The majority of people with MS have the relapsing-remitting form, where symptoms flare up during a relapse period, and then go into periods of remission. Research has indicated relapse rate may reduce during pregnancy, but more research is needed to better understand ...this association! While there is more and more research which helps women with MS navigate pregnancy and the postpartum period, there is no research to guide women with MS to exercise during or following pregnancy. We want to change this! We are currently running TWO studies concerning physical activity during and following pregnancy in women with MS. https://redcap.ualberta.ca/surveys/?s=HK9HEXNLFD #multiplesclerosis #mspregnancy #

Meet Miranda! Miranda is a second year Master’s student at the PPPH. Her research focuses on the impact of physical activity during and following pregnancy in women with multiple sclerosis (MS). Prenatal physical activity in women with disabilities was identified as a critical research gap identified in the SOGC/CSEP 2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy. MS largely affects women of childbearing age, however, there is NO RESEARCH to guide women... with MS to exercise during pregnancy. Miranda's work will be the first to fill this gap! Miranda is currently looking for pregnant and postpartum women with AND without MS to participate in her study looking at the effects of a single bout of 20 minutes of walking on perceptions of fatigue during and following exercise! This study requires no in person contact and can be done anywhere in Canada! Request more information about her study here: https://redcap.ualberta.ca/surveys/?s=RKYMHF4LLM Miranda is also doing a survey about physical activity for women with MS. This involves four ~10 minute surveys and is open to women with MS anywhere in the world! https://redcap.ualberta.ca/surveys/?s=HK9HEXNLFD #msandpregnancy #multiplesclerosis #msandexercise #mssociety University of Alberta - Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation Women and Children's Health Research Institute

We're thrilled to announce the release of the CSEP Pre & Postnatal Exercise Specialization!! Our Director, Margie Davenport led the development of this specialization. It's been a labour of love for the last year. Proud to see this evidence-based certification for Qualified Exercise Professionals to be able to safely and appropriately support women from preconception, throughout pregnancy and into the postpartum period!! #csepprepostnatalspecialization

***looking for pregnant participants for online exercise studies*** We are currently recruiting pregnant women for new and ongoing studies related to: 1) HIIT exercise... 2) blood glucose control in women with gestational diabetes 3) physical activity in women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis These three studies are VIRTUAL (all materials are mailed to you with no in person contact), and can be done anywhere in Canada. For more information about these studies, please follow this link: https://redcap.ualberta.ca/surveys/?s=RKYMHF4LLM You can also reach us at [email protected]! Thank you for sharing! #pregnancy #pregnant #multiplesclerosis #gestationaldiabetes #exercise #physicalactivity

Looking for information on COVID-19 and pregnancy from a reputable (and Canadian) source? A great podcast from two highly respected experts. More information here:

We talk a lot about the importance of being active during pregnancy. HOWEVER, there are a number of medical conditions where engaging in more strenuous physical activity is NOT encouraged! These are known as contraindications. There are two types of contraindications. Women with absolute contraindications are discouraged from engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity; however, activities of daily living should be continued. Relative contraindications are conditio...ns that warrant a discussion between a #pregnant woman and her #obstetric healthcare professional about exercising during pregnancy. In these cases modification of activity is encouraged over complete cessation of activity, as appropriate. You can read the article for FREE in the link below. Guidelines around the world list different medical conditions as contraindications. We recently published a review paper examining available evidence about contraindications. And we were pretty surprised at the results. If you have a contraindication to prenatal exercise, it's important to speak to your health care provider to determine whether physical activity is appropriate for your pregnancy. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/23/1395

A great reminder for all of us, especially regarding informal activity!

Over the last 2.5 years, we've had the pleasure of having Dr. Chenxi Cai work with us as a postdoctoral fellow. We're thrilled to announced that Chenxi has just started a position as an Assistant Professor at Xiamen University in China. https://en.xmu.edu.cn This is a top 20 university in China (out of more than 1200!!). Congratulations! Her work over the last 2.5 years (including a six month maternity leave!!) has made an impact. She began her PDF working on two systema...tic reviews/meta-analyses looking at the impact of occupational activities on pregnancy outcomes. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31276631/ These data demonstrated that long working hours (>55h/week), shift work and long standing during work are associated with an increased risk of pregnancy complications including preterm delivery. Her work has already sparked changes in policy for pregnant health care workers! Chenxi also led other projects including another review on the effects of exercise on prenatal cardiorespiratory fitness which was awarded the top presentation at the 2020 ACSM Annual Conference! It's safe to say that we're going to miss Chenxi's infectious laugh, brilliant ideas and kind personality in the lab. She's a rising star in our field, and will do great things in her new position. We will miss you!!!

A new study for pregnant #nurses and #physicians working at Edmonton-based hospitals! Women and Children's Health Research Institute If you are interested in learning more, please visit the link below: https://redcap.ualberta.ca/surveys/?s=RKYMHF4LLM

Interested in learning more about pelvic health issues? Learn from the best!! This is a new podcast from the UK that has great information (and new episodes coming up!). https://physio-matters.com/the-at-your-cervix-podcast/

Last week several members of our team presented at the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Annual Conference! Rachel was a finalist in the Graduate Student Oral Awards Competition presenting on the results of her PEACH study! Vicky and Morgan presented on the initial results of their survey on exercise in twin/triplet pregnancies, and Chenxi presented on her work looking at the impact of exercise before vs. during pregnancy on glucose regulation! Jenna was a finalist... in the Graduate Student Poster Award Presentation. She presented on her recent paper examining the impact of participating in elite sport on pregnancy outcomes (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32925496/). Interested in learning more, you can listen to her presentation here!! They all did a fantastic job!

***PREGNANT PARTICIPANTS WITH and WITHOUT MS NEEDED FOR ONLINE STUDY*** We are looking for women to participate in a virtual research study examining the impact of exercise in pregnant women with #MultipleSclerosis (MS). Women with AND without MS are eligible! If you are interested in learning more, please visit the link below or scan the QR code with your mobile device.... https://redcap.ualberta.ca/surveys/?s=RKYMHF4LLM PRO00095678 Exercise and pregnancy in women with multiple sclerosis. PI: M. Davenport Eligibility: Pregnant women with and without multiple sclerosis, non-smoker. There is no in person contact! Open to women anywhere in Canada. Please share! Time commitment ~2 hours. Gift card provided. #pregnancy #pregnant #exercise #physicalactivity

This will be a great educational webinar! Dr. Graeme Smith is a world leader on the short and long term effects of preeclampsia (and what to do about it). Definitely worth watching!

Looking for ways to stay active during the pandemic? Check out this great infographic!

The impact of resistance training on #pregnancy outcomes is (surprisingly) one of the less well understood aspects of exercise during pregnancy. A recent review of the literature found that women with gestational diabetes had improved blood sugar control and lower insulin use if they did resistance training during pregnancy (compared to those who did not). This review only included 4 studies (252 women); much more work needs to be done! Watch this space, we have an upcoming... VIRTUAL study looking at resistance training. We need your help!! https://www.sciencedirect.com//arti/pii/S0266613820302114