Significance of exercise and bed rest in pregnancy--pregnancy and walking (1).

Prior to evaluating the significance of bed rest in managing obstetric diseases, characteristics of physiology of pregnant women were examined on the basis of 24 hours heart rate changes in eight pregnant women at the third trimester and also distances covered in walking by a total of 53 multiparas and of 87 primiparas during free-living daily activities were measured by means of a pedometer. A significantly higher mean heart rate was observed in those pregnant women even during sleep than in non-pregnant control. The primiparas showed significant decreases in the pedometer readings in all stages except for 15-27 weeks of gestation, while the multiparas of less than 28 weeks exhibited no decrease as compared with non-pregnant control. The decrease in the pedometer readings were marked in both primiparas and multiparas, the value being much lower than that of any other week of gestation. However, the equation of weight x distance covered in walking remains rather constant throughout gestation.