Whether brachial artery FMD (flow-mediated dilation) is altered in pregnancy by 28–35 weeks compared with non-pregnant women remains controversial. The controversy may be due to limitations of previous studies that include failing to: (i) test non-pregnant controls in the mid-late luteal phase, (ii) account for effects of pregnancy on the dilatory shear stimulus, (iii) account for physical activity or (iv) control for inter-individual variation in the time to peak FMD. In the present study, brachial artery FMD was measured in 17 active and eight sedentary pregnant women (34.1±1.6 weeks of gestation), and in 19 active and 11 sedentary non-pregnant women (mid-late luteal phase). Decreased vascular tone secondary to increased shear stress contributes minimally to pregnancy-induced increases in baseline brachial artery diameter, as shear stress removal during distal cuff inflation in pregnant women did not reduce diameter to baseline levels observed in non-pregnant controls. Neither the shear stimulus nor the percentage FMD was affected by pregnancy or regular exercise. Continuous diameter measurements are required to control for delayed peak dilation during pregnancy (57±15 compared with 46±15 s; P=0.012), as post-release diameter measured at 60 or 55–65 s post-release underestimated FMD to a greater extent in non-pregnant than in pregnant women.
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Research Article|
June 24 2011
Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation is not affected by pregnancy or regular exercise participation
Tracey L. Weissgerber;
*Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Magee Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A.
Correspondence: Dr Tacey L. Weissgerber (email [email protected]).
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Gregory A. L. Davies;
Gregory A. L. Davies
†Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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Michael E. Tschakovsky
Michael E. Tschakovsky
‡School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
§Department of Physiology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
January 10 2011
Revision Received:
April 22 2011
Accepted:
May 12 2011
Accepted Manuscript online:
May 12 2011
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2011 Biochemical Society
2011
Clin Sci (Lond) (2011) 121 (8): 355–365.
Article history
Received:
January 10 2011
Revision Received:
April 22 2011
Accepted:
May 12 2011
Accepted Manuscript online:
May 12 2011
Citation
Tracey L. Weissgerber, Gregory A. L. Davies, Michael E. Tschakovsky; Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation is not affected by pregnancy or regular exercise participation. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 October 2011; 121 (8): 355–365. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20110008
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