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. 2024 Oct;22(4):429-437.
doi: 10.1016/j.jesf.2024.09.003. Epub 2024 Sep 14.

Cool mama: Temperature regulation during high-intensity interval running in pregnant elite and recreational athletes

Sofia Brevik-Persson  1 , Christina Gjestvang  1 , Emilie Mass Dalhaug  1 , Birgitte Sanda  1   2 , Jørgen Melau  3 , Lene A H Haakstad  1
Affiliations

Cool mama: Temperature regulation during high-intensity interval running in pregnant elite and recreational athletes

Sofia Brevik-Persson et al. J Exerc Sci Fit. 2024 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Regular exercise during pregnancy is beneficial, but athletes often exceed the recommended 150 min of moderate-intensity activity, incorporate high-intensity exercises. The upper limit for exercise intensity and duration on fetal and maternal safety remains uncertain. A concern is a maternal core body temperature of >39.0 °C, potentially increase the risk of heat-related fetal malformations and complications during pregnancy. Blood flow redirection for thermoregulation could compromise fetal cardiovascular function, increasing the risk of miscarriage and preterm labor. This study evaluated whether pregnant women (gestational weeks 25-35) were at risk of exceeding a core body temperature of 39.0 °C during high-intensity running. We also investigated effects on skin temperature, fluid loss, and thermal sensation, comparing pregnant athletes to non-pregnant controls.

Methods: In this comparative cross-sectional study, 30 elite and recreational athletes (pregnant n = 15) completed up to five high-intensity treadmill-intervals. Core and skin temperature were continuously measured. Body weight was utilized to calculate the amount of fluid loss.

Results: Highest core body temperature were 38.76 °C and 39.56 °C in one pregnant and non-pregnant participant, respectively. Pregnant participants had lower core body temperatures (mean difference -0.47 °C, p ≤ 0.001) initially and a smaller increase (0.10 °C, p ≤ 0.003) during later intervals compared with the non-pregnant controls. Pregnant participants also showed a greater increase in skin temperature (4.08 ± 0.72 °C vs. 3.25 ± 0.86 °C, p = 0.008) and fluid loss (0.81 ± 0.19 L vs. 0.50 ± 0.12 L, p˂0.001).

Conclusion: Physiological changes in pregnancy may enhance thermoregulation, indicating that high-intensity interval runs are unlikely to pose a risk of exceeding a core body temperature of 39 °C for pregnant athletes.

Keywords: Athletes; High-intensity exercise; Pregnancy; Running; Temperature; Thermoregulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there are no conflicts of interest. The source of funding did not have any role in the study's design, conduct, data collection, management, analysis, or interpretation, nor did it influence the manuscript's preparation, review, approval, or the decision to submit it for publication.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The rectal probe, Tinytag View2.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Rectal temperature changes during the treadmill protocol in pregnant (red) and non-pregnant (blue) participants. The first interval started at minute 0.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Skin temperature changes during the treadmill protocol in pregnant (red) and non-pregnant (blue) participants. The first interval started at minute 0.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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