Can Mom's workout shape Baby's heart health?
NCT ID NCT06598098
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
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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
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About 268 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2021
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 40 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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East Carolina University
RECRUITINGGreenville, North Carolina, 27834, United States
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