Can Mom's workout shape Baby's heart health?

NCT ID NCT06598098

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 11, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026

Summary

Researchers at East Carolina University are studying whether different types of exercise during pregnancy affect the heart and metabolic health of both mothers and their babies. The trial enrolls 268 healthy pregnant women with a normal body mass index and assigns them to aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, a combination of both, or usual care without a structured exercise program. The team measures cholesterol, blood sugar, body fat, and other health markers in mothers during pregnancy and in infants at 1, 6, and 12 months of age. The goal is to learn which exercise mode, if any, offers the greatest benefit for preventing obesity and heart disease later in life.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
structured exercise programs during pregnancy: aerobic, resistance, or a combination of both
What this could lead to
If exercise during pregnancy helps, it could become a simple, low-cost way to lower the risk of obesity and heart disease in the next generation.
What could go wrong
Exercise is already known to be safe in most pregnancies, but the study may not show clear differences between exercise types, and results in healthy-weight women may not apply to everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 268 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Oct 2021

Expected to finish

Aug 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 40 years

Sex

Female participants only

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age: 18 to 40 years old * BMI 18.5 to 24.4 * Pregnancy: Singleton; ≤ 16 weeks gestation * Clearance by Obstetric provider for exercise Exclusion Criteria: * Age: ≤ 17.9 or ≥ 41 years of age * BMI ≥25 * Multi fetal pregnancy * Obstetric Provider does not provide clearance for exercise * Unable or Unwilling to provide consent * Inability to communicate with members of study team, despite use of interpreter * Medical Conditions (e,g. HIV/Aids, Cancer, Type 1 or 2 Diabetes, Untreated Hypertension, Thyroid Disorders) * Use of tobacco products, alcohol, recreational drugs, or medications (oral hypertensive, insulin) * Unable to provide phone or email contact

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • East Carolina University

    RECRUITING

    Greenville, North Carolina, 27834, United States

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