Effects of a period of selected aerobic exercise on the levels of hemoglobin, hematocrit and red blood cells in pregnant women

  Introduction: The prevalence of anemia in pregnancy is nearly 8% in the first quarter, 12% in the second quarter and 29% in the third quarter based on hemoglobin levels. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a selected aerobic exercise period on hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red blood cells count in pregnant women after delivery.   Materials and Methods: This Study was a quasi-experimental. From all women who were referred to the maternity unit of the clinic in Shahreza, 40 inactive pregnant women in second trimester aged 20-35 years were selected and then randomly divided in two experimental (n=20) and control (n = 20) groups. The women in the experimental group had selected aerobic exercise under an experienced instructor for 8 weeks (three sessions of 45 minutes per week with the intensity of 40-75 percent of maximum heart rate reserve), while the control group was only followed up. Blood hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels and also red blood cells count were measured before and after exercise in both groups.   Results: A significant improvement were observed in the blood hemoglobin and hematocrit levels and also the number of red blood cells in the women of the experimental group following 8 weeks exercise with compared to the baseline levels of those variables and also to the control group (P