Physical Activity during Preconception Impacts Some Maternal Outcomes—A Cross-Sectional Study on a Population of Polish Women

Abstract

Background: Physical activity is an element of a healthy lifestyle and is safe in most pregnancies. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of physical activity levels before and during pregnancy on pregnancy outcomes for both the mother and child. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a population of Polish women. An anonymous questionnaire was distributed electronically via maternity and parental Facebook groups. Results: The final research group included 961 women. The analysis showed that physical activity 6 months before pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but physical activity during pregnancy showed no such association. In all, 37.8% of women with low activity in the first trimester, in comparison to 29.4% of adequately active women, gained an excessive amount of weight during pregnancy (p = 0.0306). The results showed no association between activity level and pregnancy duration, type of delivery or newborn birth weight. Conclusions: Our study indicates that physical activity during the preconception period is crucial to GDM occurrence.