Margie H Davenport

University of Alberta | UAlberta · Faculty of Kinesiology Sport and Recreation

Despite numerous studies linking prenatal vaping to adverse perinatal outcomes, a systematic assessment for critical comparison remains absent. To investigate these associations, we conducted a systematic search of studies assessing perinatal outcomes in mothers and/or neonates exposed to vaping during pregnancy compared to those in women without p...

World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards, including weight-for-length, are used to monitor infant size. Excessive infant weight-for-length at or above the 85th percentile is a risk for childhood overweight. Although antenatal interventions like the nutrition and exercise lifestyle intervention program (NELIP) have successfully prevented exc...

Objective To examine maternal and fetal cardiovascular responses to high-intensity resistance exercise in pregnancy. Methods 10 healthy pregnant (26.4±3.2 weeks gestation) and 10 healthy non-pregnant individuals were recruited (34.8±6 and 33.5±2.9 years, respectively). At least 48 hours after baseline strength testing to determine 10-repetition ma...

Objective To examine the effect of exercise during the first year postpartum on pelvic floor disorders and diastasis recti abdominis. Design Systematic review with random effects meta-analysis. Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscuss, Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews (Ovid), Scopus, Web of Science and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched un...

Objective To examine the influence of postpartum exercise on maternal depression and anxiety. Design Systematic review with random effects meta-analysis and meta-regression. Data sources Online databases up to 12 January 2024, reference lists, recommended studies and hand searches. Eligibility criteria Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non...

There is a lack of evidence regarding the safety of long-duration and vigorous intensity physical activity during pregnancy, such as that required during an ultramarathon. This case study is the first to examine the training, performance, health, and delivery outcomes for an ultramarathoner across two successive pregnancies (one twin and one single...

Objective To examine the relationship between postpartum physical activity and maternal postnatal cardiometabolic health, breastfeeding, injury, and infant growth and development. Design Systematic review with random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression. Data sources Eight online databases were searched up until 12 January 2024. Eligibility...

Objective To synthesise the existing literature relating to barriers and enablers encountered by elite athletes during preconception and pregnancy for the purpose of identifying key recommendations and actionable steps to inform the development of pregnancy guidelines to support preconception and pregnancy in national sporting organisations. Desig...

Our objective is to describe the development of evidence-based policy and practice recommendations for pregnant, postpartum and parenting Canadian high-performance athletes. A community-based participatory research approach was employed as the study design, and data were generated via a rapid review of existing sport policy for pregnant and postpar...

Reid, Ly-Anh, Jordan L Rees, Miranda Kimber, Marina James, Graeme M Purdy, Megan Smorschok, Lauren E Maier, Normand G. Boulé, Trevor A. Day, Margie H. Davenport, and Craig D. Steinback. Blood glucose during high altitude trekking in young healthy adults. High Alt Med Biol. 00:00-00, 2024. Introduction: High altitude trekking is becoming more popula...

Feasibility/pilot studies should be conducted prior to larger scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in physical activity (PA) intervention research. There have been changes in recommendations for feasibility/pilot studies over the years, leading to a crowded and inconsistent landscape of methodologies. The purpose of this article is to critical...

Apply It! • Prenatal physical activity is associated with approximately a 40% reduction in the odds of developing major pregnancy complications ( e.g. , preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes) without increasing the risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, or a small-for-gestational age baby. • All pregnant individuals who do not h...

Maternal mortality rates are at an all-time high across the world and are set to increase in subsequent years. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death during pregnancy and postpartum, especially in the US. Therefore, understanding the physiological changes in the cardiovascular system during normal pregnancy is necessary to understand...

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the effects of exercise training on muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in humans. Studies included exercise interventions (randomized controlled trials [RCTs], non-randomized controlled trials [non-RCTs] or pre-to-post intervention) that reported on adults (>18 years) wher...

We conducted a meta-analysis to determine the effect of hyperoxia on muscle sympathetic nerve activity in healthy individuals and those with cardio-metabolic diseases. A comprehensive search of electronic databases was performed until August 2022. All study designs (except reviews) were included: population (humans; apparently healthy or with at le...

Acute hyperoxia (i.e., breathing air consisting of 100% oxygen, O 2 ) reduces muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), positioning hyperoxia as a potential anti-hypertensive therapeutic. However, the link between hyperoxia and MSNA has not been established in females. We tested the hypothesis that males would exhibit greater reductions in MSNA dur...

Background and Objective As the visibility and acceptance of athlete-mothers increase, so does the number of women athletes considering parenthood. Yet, many athletes struggle with the decision to become a parent while competing at the elite level due to the significant changes and uncertainties that have been reported by pregnant and parenting ath...

Background Athletes are increasingly continuing to train and/or compete during pregnancy; routinely exceeding global physical activity recommendations (≥2.5 hours moderate intensity/week) and potentially increasing risk of injury and illness for mother and child. Objective Examine training and physiological characteristics of Olympic sprint kayake...

Introduction: Physical activity during pregnancy is established to derive clinically meaningful improvements in pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum health outcomes. Evidence-based pre-screening tools have been developed to support the implementation of physical activity programmes, and enhance communication between health care providers, exercis...

Returning to running postpartum presents challenges such as musculoskeletal pain and pelvic floor dysfunction for some females, but there is little guidance on developing and progressing postpartum training programmes. This study aims to establish expert consensus recommendations on designing and modifying a postpartum return-to-running training pr...

Female athletes have identified a lack of guidance as a barrier to successfully returning to running postpartum, and existing guidelines are vague. Our aim was to define the current practice of determining postpartum run-readiness through a consensus survey of international clinicians and exercise professionals in postpartum exercise to assist clin...

(Abstracted from Sports Med 2023;53(9):1819–1833) Current recommendations for exercise during pregnancy largely refer to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), which has been shown by many studies to be beneficial to both mother and fetus by reducing preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and depression. Although MICT has been shown to be effe...

Objective Recent research grounded in the experiences of elite female athletes has shed light on the complex challenges of navigating sport environments that do not support or value pregnant or postpartum athletes. The purpose of this study was to explore the unique experiences of coaches and healthcare providers working with pregnant and postpartu...

We conducted a meta-analysis to determine the effect of acute poikilocapnic, high-altitude, and acute isocapnia hypoxemia on muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and cardiovascular function. A comprehensive search across electronic databases was performed until June 2021. All observational designs were included: population (healthy individuals)...

Advanced maternal age (≥35 years) is a risk factor for poor pregnancy outcomes. Pregnancy requires extensive maternal vascular adaptations, and with age, our blood vessels become stiffer and change in structure (collagen and elastin). However, the effect of advanced maternal age on the structure of human resistance arteries during pregnancy is unkn...

Objective We aimed to compare maternal and fetal cardiovascular responses to an acute bout of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) versus moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) during pregnancy. Methods Fifteen women with a singleton pregnancy (27.3 ± 3.5 weeks of gestation, 33 ± 4 years of age) were recruited. Following a peak fitness t...

It has been only recently that female endurance athletes have been deemed capable of training and being successful in endurance sports. This unfortunate attitude has resulted in limited research regarding female endurance over the life course. In this chapter we overview the impact of key life events over the life span of female endurance athletes,...

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of moderate intensity walking on postprandial blood glucose control for pregnant individuals with (GDM) and without gestational diabetes mellitus (NON-GDM). Using a randomized cross-over design, individuals completed 5 days of exercise (three 10-min walks immediately after eating (SHORT), or one 30-min...

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders put the maternal-fetal dyad at risk and are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality during pregnancy. Multiple efforts have been made to understand the physiological mechanisms behind changes in blood pressure. Still, to date, no study has focused on analyzing the dynamics of the interactions between th...

We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to quantify the impact of healthy and complex pregnancy on muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) at rest, and in response to stress. Structured searches of electronic databases were performed until February 23, 2022. All study designs (except reviews) were included: population (pregnant individu...

We retrospectively analyzed data from 28 participants engaging in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (265 sessions; 25–40 min) between 18–34 weeks gestation (NCT 02948439). The mean change in blood glucose (BG) from pre- to post-acute exercise session was −1.0 ± 1.2 mmol/L. Pre-exercise BG significantly predicted the change in BG (p < 0.001), even...

Objectives Little is known about the impact of elite sport participation on long-term athlete health. We aimed to: (1) describe musculoskeletal, mental health, reproductive/endocrine and cardiovascular characteristics in retired elite female athletes and compare to the general population and (2) explore athletes’ perceptions of their elite sport pa...

Although sleep problems are highly prevalent in infants, the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence sleep consolidation and regulation in this age group are not well understood. This study aimed to examine the cross-sectional associations of demographic and parental factors with infant sleep characteristics. Participants were 97 Canadian mo...

The progression from conception through to the postpartum period represents an extraordinary period of physiological adaptation in the mother to support the growth and development of the fetus. Healthy, normotensive human pregnancies are associated with striking increases in both plasma volume and sympathetic nerve activity, yet normal or reduced b...

Introduction and hypothesisParticipation in Olympic weightlifting, the Valsalva maneuver, and acute or prolonged supine weightlifting during pregnancy are cautioned against; however, these recommendations are based on expert opinions as opposed to empirical evidence. The aim of this study was to examine the training and health outcomes of individua...

The present study investigated the glycemic response to an acute high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session (10 one-minute intervals ≥90% HRmax interspersed with one-minute of active recovery) versus a moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) session (30 min at 64%-76% HRmax ) during pregnancy. Twenty-four normoglycemic females with a sin...

Background Recent research has shown that pregnant individuals experience weight stigma throughout gestation, including negative comments and judgement associated with gestational weight gain (GWG). Weight bias internalization (WBI) is often a result of exposure to weight stigma and is detrimental to biopsychological health outcomes. The purpose of...

Background A growing number of athletes return to elite sport following childbirth. Yet, they face significant barriers to do so safely and successfully. The experiences of elite athletes returning to sport following delivery are necessary to support evidence-informed policy. Objective The purpose of this qualitative description was to describe th...

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are associated with future cardiovascular disease (CVD), which may be mediated by diminished cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we summarize evidence linking CRF with HDP before, during, and after pregnancy. We searched relevant databases to identify observational...

Importance: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for menopausal individuals. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a surrogate marker of CVD, improves with aerobic exercise training in healthy and nonhealthy cohorts. However, systematic evaluation and precise estimate of this effect for menopausal individuals are unkn...

The purpose of this study was to determine if rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during non-weight-bearing exercise is influenced by gestational age and exercise training. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the influence of gestational age and exercise training (three to four times per week for 25–40 minutes at 50%–70% of heart r...

*Lifelong Learning Standard (LLL) definition describes the essential, knowledge, skills, responsibility and autonomy written as Learning Outcomes, required to work in the European Fitness and Physical Activity Sector as a professional qualified in the relevant field e.g. pregnancy and postpartum exercise. Qualification against a Lifelong Learning S...

Background: We conducted meta-analyses to identify relationships between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity, muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), and blood pressure (BP). We quantified the effect of OSA treatment on MSNA. Methods: Structured searches of electronic databases were performed until June 2021. All observational designs (exce...

Objectives: This study examined the impacts of individual and combined associations between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time (ST) (accelerometer-derived), as well as MVPA and television (TV) time (self-reported) on cardiometabolic biomarkers during pregnancy. Methods: Participants were 332 pregnant women from the...

Evidence-based guidelines represent the highest level of scientific evidence to identify best practices for clinical/public health. However, the availability of guidelines do not guarantee their use, targeted knowledge translation strategies and tools are necessary to help promote uptake. Following publication of the 2019 Canadian Guideline for Phy...

Objective To examine the influence of physical activity before and during pregnancy on maternal mental health outcomes. Methods Ten electronic databases were searched up to May 11, 2021. Studies of all observational designs (except case studies and reviews) were included, which contained information on the relevant population (women before and or...

This study aimed to produce a list of the top 10 research priorities regarding physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep in pregnancy. Using the Delphi methodology, pregnant/postpartum individuals (N = 118), exercise professionals and healthcare providers (N = 55) listed up to 10 questions perceived as unanswered regarding physical activity,...

Both voluntary rebreathing (RB) of expired air and voluntary apneas (VA) elicit changes in arterial carbon dioxide and oxygen (CO2 and O2) chemostimuli. These chemostimuli elicit synergistic increases in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and sympathetic nervous system activation, with the latter increasing systemic blood pressure. The extent that simultane...

Objectives Athletes train and compete at the elite level during their reproductive years, yet sport policies that support pregnant athletes are lacking. The experiences of elite athletes during pregnancy are vastly under-represented, and such voices are needed to support evidence-informed policy. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to d...

We performed a randomised controlled trial measuring dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) using a sit-to-stand maneuver before (SS1) and following (SS2) an acute exercise test at 16-20 weeks gestation (trimester 2; TM2) and then again at 34-37 weeks gestation (third trimester; TM3). Following the first assessment, women were randomised into exerci...

The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and arterial stiffness in pregnancy. Thirty-nine women participated in this study, resulting in 68 measurements in non-pregnant (NP; n = 21), first (TM1; n = 8), second (TM2; n = 20), and third trimesters (TM3; n = 19). Compl...

Guidelines for physical activity during pregnancy have existed since 1985. Extensive literature in the subsequent forty years have conclusively demonstrated the safety and benefits of prenatal physical activity for individuals without contraindications. [1, 2] Most global guidelines include specific medical conditions where moderate to vigorous int...

Of all physiological systems, the cardiovascular system takes on the most profound adaptation in pregnancy to support fetal growth and development. The adaptations that arise are systemic and involve structural and functional changes that can be observed at the cerebral, central, peripheral, and microvascular beds. This includes, although is not li...

Normal blood [glucose] regulation is critical to support metabolism, particularly in contexts of metabolic stressors (e.g., exercise, high altitude hypoxia). Data regarding blood [glucose] regulation in hypoxia are inconclusive. We aimed to characterize blood [glucose] over 80 min following glucose ingestion during both normoxia and acute normobari...

Purpose: Healthy pregnancy is typically associated with favorable vascular adaptations to both structure and function of the peripheral arteries. Exercise is independently associated with improvements in peripheral vascular health; however, the impact of exercise on prenatal adaptations is unclear. Therefore, we hypothesized that a structured aero...

BACKGROUND Guidelines on physical activity/exercise during pregnancy recommend all women without contraindications engage in regular physical activity to improve both their own health and the health of their baby. Many women are uncertain how to safely engage in physical activity/exercise during this life-stage and are increasingly using mobile app...

Background: Guidelines for physical activity and exercise during pregnancy recommend that all women without contraindications engage in regular physical activity to improve both their own health and the health of their baby. Many women are uncertain how to safely engage in physical activity and exercise during this life stage and are increasingly...

We assessed the impact of a structured lower-limb aerobic exercise training intervention during pregnancy on brachial artery endothelial function, shear rate and patterns, and forearm blood flow and reactive hyperemia. Twenty-seven pregnant women were recruited and randomized into either a control group (n = 11; 31.0 ± 0.7 years), or an exercise in...

The concept of prenatal physical activity has transitioned from a potentially risky behaviour to a prescription to improve maternal–fetal health. Pregnant women who are hospitalized because of a complication should continue to engage in light activities of daily living given the known adverse effects of maternal bedrest. Because the amount physical...

A total of 83 third trimester pregnant women were recruited to examine the role of pre-pregnancy versus late-pregnancy physical activity on maternal insulin resistance. Principal component analysis plots demonstrated a distinction between the high and low Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) groups. The variation was driven...