Can exercise shield pregnant women from preeclampsia?
NCT ID NCT06319014
First seen Sep 11, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026
Summary
Researchers are testing whether exercise during pregnancy can reduce the risk and severity of preeclampsia, a dangerous condition marked by high blood pressure. The trial enrolls 224 healthy women at risk for preeclampsia who are less than 16 weeks pregnant. Participants take part in aerobic, resistance, or combined exercise programs, and researchers track blood pressure, metabolic markers, placental health, and infant birth weight to compare the three approaches.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a structured exercise program during pregnancy, using aerobic, resistance, or combined training
- What this could lead to
- If exercise helps, it could give pregnant women a low-cost, drug-free way to lower their risk of preeclampsia and support healthier births.
- What could go wrong
- Preeclampsia has many causes, and exercise alone may not prevent it. The trial measures blood pressure, lab values, and birth outcomes, so it may show only small changes or none at all.
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 224 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2024
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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: * healthy women, age 18-40 years, \<16 weeks' gestation, with singleton pregnancy; women (BMI:18.5-45.0), sedentary, cleared by their obstetric provider. Exclusion Criteria: * pre-existing chronic conditions such as HIV, lupus, etc.; taking medicines that affect fetal development; and/or lack of telephone or email contact information).
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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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