Investigation of the Relationship between Physical Activity Levels, Maternal Weight (before delivery) and Serum Cortisol Level (during labor) in Nulliparous Women

Many studies confirm the health benefits of exercise during pregnancy both for mother and fetus. Given the possibility of poor pregnancy outcomes as well as adverse economic، physical and psychological consequences، the main purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between physical activity levels، maternal weight (before delivery) and serum cortisol levels (during labor) in nulliparous women. The participants of this cross-sectional study were women admitted to Imam Hussein hospital for delivery in Shahrood، Iran، 2013. Overall، 76 women were chosen randomly as the sample. The physical activity level was determined via PPAQ questionnaire and maternal weight and serum cortisol level were measured using a scale and ELISA kit، respectively. The validity of all the data gathering tools was approved by a number of experts in the field and the reliability of the questionnaire was measured (α=0. 81). The data was analyzed using SPSS software version 18. Kolmogorov-Smironov، Pearson correlation and Spearman correlation were performed (P-value less than 0. 05 was considered significant). Our findings proposed that there is a significant inverse relationship between physical activity Level of pregnant women and maternal weight before delivery (p<0. 05); however، no significant relationship was found between physical activity level of pregnant women and maternal serum cortisol level while in labor (p>0. 05). Delivery، considered as the most physically and mentally stressful event for pregnant women، is completely independent of pregnancy. Therefore، serum cortisol levels during labor is not affected by physical activity during pregnancy، however، the weight gain during pregnancy can be controlled through physical activity.