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CompletedNCT04146740Updated Aug 31, 2020

Effects of Structured Exercise Regime in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

An interventional study of Structured Exercise for Experimental (Structured Exercise) Group and Control treatment for both groups in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, sponsored by Foundation University Islamabad. Completed at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to female participants aged 20 Years to 40 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-08-31.

Sponsored by Foundation University Islamabad · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 5 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Mar 2019, registered Aug 2019).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
80
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
20 Years to 40 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

Rehabilitation in the field of Obstetrics is an emerging field worldwide although it is still very much neglected in a country like Pakistan. Increasing prevalence of GDM has highlighted the importance of rehabilitation in this specific area. In USA upto14% of pregnancies get GDM problem, 6.8 to 10.4 % in China while in India 27.5% which is exceptionally high. Similarly in Pakistan it has become a common issue.

Many observational studies have been done to find the risk factors and causes of GDM. However to the best of investigator's knowledge no experimental study have been done so far on the effects of exercise on physical, physiological and psychological aspects of GDM. Hence a randomized control trial is planned on diagnosed GDM patients in Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi who will recieve supervised structured exercise regeme for 5 weeks and their data will be recorded using reliable tools at the baseline and after 5 weeks to assess the effects of exercise.

Read the detailed description

GDM is a medical condition of high maternal glucose level which is diagnosed only when women are pregnant and overcome after pregnancy. It results in various maternal and neonatal complications like caeserean delivery in mothers and obesity in children. Women having GDM have greater risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems later in life which is threatening for us. Obese women are at increased risk of developing GDM and it is also a risk factor for developing high blood pressure and protein in the urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy that condition is known as preeclampsia.

Many studies have shown that physically active women are less prone to develop GDM as compare to those women who have sedentary life style which draws attention towards the role of antenatal exercises for prevention and management of GDM and has become the first line treatment in developed countries. In addition to obesity and sedentary life style other known risk factors are family history, age of mother and number of children but there is no definite single cause of GDM yet discovered.

Exercises programs during pregnancy are not usually practiced in our population and routine domestic activities are considered as enough for fitness. We have a common myth that pregnant women should not do treadmill or stationary cycle or any other aerobic activity which is really wrong and resulting in problems like GDM. Women following moderate exercise programs during their pregnancy have reported reduction in daily insulin administration dosage in comparison with women not doing any prescribed exercise. As Gestational weight gain is a major risk factor for GDM, exercises have given evidence to facilitate weight reduction.

Exercise programs prescribed by physical therapists during pregnancy for preventing and managing GDM are considered useful and recommended by researchers and practitioners around the world but in developing countries like Pakistan, women are not receiving this method of treatment due to lack of awareness in general public, lack of referral system from gynaecologists and obstetricians and unavailability of women health Physical therapists in hospital set ups.

This study will provide data showing the effects of exercise in biomarkers level and give the option of treatment to obstetricians.

This will fill the research gap in the area of rehabilitation in GDM. This will also highlight the importance of women health physical therapists in obstetric conditions as there is less awareness of this speciality in Pakistan.

This will provide the data regarding which type, intensity and duration of exercise should be recommendable while treating GDM.

This study will open new doors for researchers to do long term studies on different biomarkers with different exercise types.

02

Conditions studied

  • Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Keywords

  • exercise
  • pregnancy
03

In context

Diabetes, Gestational

842 studies on the registry are indexed under Diabetes, Gestational; 198 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 80 is below the median of 110 across 550 interventional studies indexed under Diabetes, Gestational.

Browse Diabetes, Gestational studies →

Lead sponsor

Foundation University Islamabad is the lead sponsor of 238 studies on the registry; 128 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
20 Years to 40 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. Women with age of 20 to 40 years and gestational age more than 20 weeks.
  2. Diagnosed Gestational diabetes mellitus patients
  3. Must be able to do 6 min walk test and lie under severity level 6 on the 0-10 Borg scale of breathlessness -

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Diagnosed neurological and cardiopulmonary problems.

-

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
80 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Structured Exercise Group

    Structured Exercise Group will receive medical and dietary interventions like insulin plus structured aerobic exercise regime of moderate intensity by using stationary cycle (3-5 MET) 10 min, brisk walk 10 min The combination of Stabilization exercise (10 repetitions) and PFM training ( 20 repetitions set). Relaxation therapy including Mitchells physiological relaxation technique (10 repeatitions) alongwith deep breathing exercises. Life style modification with postural guidance and back care would also be followed. Exercise dosage would be twice a week for 05 weeks while exercise duration will be 45 to 50 min session under Physio supervision and home plan of 10 min exercise daily. Total 150 min per week. Data will be recorded at baseline then after treatment of 5 weeks.

    Other: Structured Exercise for Experimental (Structured Exercise) Group · Behavioral: Control treatment for both groups

  • Active comparator
    Control Group

    Control Group will receive no structured exercise regime only the group will be receiving medical and dietary interventions like insulin in addition of the postural education and back care from Physical Therapist due to ethical concerns and their outcomes will be observed at the baseline and then after 05 weeks.

    Behavioral: Control treatment for both groups

Interventions

  • OtherStructured Exercise for Experimental (Structured Exercise) Group

    Structured aerobic exercise regime of moderate intensity by using stationary cycle (3-5 MET) 10 min, brisk walk 10 min. The combination of Stabilization exercise (10 repeatitions) and PFM training ( 20 repeatitions set). Relaxation therapy including Mitchells physiological relaxation technique (10 repetitions) along with deep breathing exercises.

  • BehavioralControl treatment for both groups

    Medical and dietary interventions like insulin in addition of the postural education and back care from Physical Therapist.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. HbA1c

    HbA1c will be assessed at the base line and at the end of 5 weeks session. Lower score shows better outcome.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  2. Blood Pressure

    Change in the Values of Blood pressure will be assessed at base line and at the end of 5 weeks session.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  3. Lipid profile

    Lipid profile will be assessed at the base line and at the end of 5 weeks session

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  4. Renal function test (RFT)

    RFT will be assessed at the base line and at the end of 5 weeks session. Lower score shows better outcome.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  5. C reactive protein

    C reactive protein will be assessed at the base line and at the end of 5 weeks session. Lower score shows better outcome.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  6. Heart rate

    Change in the heart rate will be assessed at base line and at the end of 5 weeks session.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  7. Respiratory rate

    Change in the respiratory rate will be assessed at base line and at the end of 5 weeks.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  8. Blood glucose level

    Change in the blood glucose level will be assessed at base line and at the end of 5 weeks session.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Gestational weight gain

    Gestational weight gain by recording weight of women in pounds and gestational age in weeks at baseline and then after 5 weeks.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  2. Edinburgh Post Natal Depression scale (Punjabi version)

    The score of Depression using Edinburgh Post Natal Depression scale (Punjabi version). Each answer is given on a score of 0-3 . Maximum score is 30 A score of 10 or higher indicates that depressive symptoms have been

    Time frame: 5 weeks

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Foundation University Islamabad
    Islamabad, Federal 45710, Pakistan
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Aviram A, Guy L, Ashwal E, Hiersch L, Yogev Y, Hadar E. Pregnancy outcome in pregnancies complicated with gestational diabetes mellitus and late preterm birth. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2016 Mar;113:198-203. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2015.12.018. Epub 2016 Jan 12. PubMed 26810272 ↗
  • Wang C, Guelfi KJ, Yang HX. Exercise and its role in gestational diabetes mellitus. Chronic Dis Transl Med. 2016 Dec 20;2(4):208-214. doi: 10.1016/j.cdtm.2016.11.006. eCollection 2016 Dec. PubMed 29063044 ↗
  • Bain E, Crane M, Tieu J, Han S, Crowther CA, Middleton P. Diet and exercise interventions for preventing gestational diabetes mellitus. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Apr 12;(4):CD010443. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010443.pub2. PubMed 25864059 ↗
  • Barquiel B, Herranz L, Hillman N, Burgos MA, Grande C, Tukia KM, Bartha JL, Pallardo LF. HbA1c and Gestational Weight Gain Are Factors that Influence Neonatal Outcome in Mothers with Gestational Diabetes. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2016 Jun;25(6):579-85. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2015.5432. Epub 2016 Feb 26. PubMed 26918922 ↗
  • Brankica K, Valentina VN, Slagjana SK, Sasha JM. Maternal 75-g OGTT glucose levels as predictive factors for large-for-gestational age newborns in women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2016 Feb;60(1):36-41. doi: 10.1590/2359-3997000000126. PubMed 26909480 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 31, 2020, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04146740
Lead sponsor
Foundation University Islamabad
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 31, 2019
Start date
Mar 12, 2019
Primary completion
Aug 27, 2020
Completion
Aug 27, 2020
Last update
Aug 31, 2020

Study contacts

Wardah Ajaz Qazi, BS-PT, PP-DPT, PhD*
principal investigator · Foundation University Islamabad

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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