Participants needed for new research project on physical activity, pregnancy and multiple sclerosis

The Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health have initiated a new research project to produce the first research to examine exercise during pregnancy in women with multiple sclerosis

Miranda Kimber - 04 May 2021

According to the 2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity Throughout Pregnancy, all women without medical restrictions can and should be physically active throughout their pregnancy. Studies have shown that being physically active during your pregnancy can reduce illnesses such as depression and can lessen the chances of developing gestational diabetes, high-blood pressure and pre-eclampsia. Despite this substantial achievement, there are still critical research gaps within the prenatal physical activity research including women with disabilities.

The Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health have initiated a new research project to start and fill this gap and produce the first research to examine exercise during pregnancy in women with multiple sclerosis (MS).

MS is a chronic neurological condition that is most commonly diagnosed in young adults aged 20 to 49 years of age. Women are three times more likely to be diagnosed than men, many of whom are diagnosed during childbearing years. Despite this highly impacted population, there are still large gaps in our understanding of pregnancy and MS, with no research concerning exercise during pregnancy in women with MS.

Pregnancy is a unique period for women with MS where one’s symptoms may be suppressed, and alongside the maternal adaptations to pregnancy, the physiological response to exercise done during pregnancy may be impacted. Our research group is particularly interested in heart rate and fatigue response to 20-minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise among women with MS during pregnancy. We are also interested in the amount of physical activity women with MS are completing during pregnancy.

We are looking to recruit 11 pregnant women with MS to participate in this new study researching the effects of physical activity during pregnancy on women with multiple sclerosis. Due to current public health restrictions, there will be no in-person requirements to participate. Participants will complete an exercise test, prescribed physical activity routine and MS symptom tracking from their homes with no in-person contact with anyone on our research team.

At the completion of this project, we will provide the first empirical evidence on the maternal physiological response to prenatal exercise in women with MS. Our goal is that this project inspires the development of further research examining exercise during and following pregnancy in women with MS. This is a critical step towards an improved representation of women with disabilities within maternal health research. For more information, please contact Miranda at pregnant@ualberta.ca or 780-492-0642.