Maternal aerobic running during mid or late gestation improves the quality of oogenesis and folliculogenesis in the ovary of neonatal rats: An experimental study

Background: Regular maternal exercise in pregnancy enhances the physiological, metabolic, and psychological health of mother and fetus.
Objective: To determine the effect of maternal aerobic running during mid or late gestation on plasma levels of estrogen and progesterone and the histological alterations in the ovary of neonatal rats.
Materials and Methods: Twenty-one female Wistar rats were randomly divided into experimental groups to exercises during the 2^nd or 3^rd wk of pregnancy (n = 14) and a control group (n = 7). After birth, the neonate’s blood was obtained and the estrogen and progesterone levels were evaluated. The ovaries were then removed and used for histological investigations and apoptic assessment.
Results: Higher concentrations of estrogen and progesterone were found in the neonates of the experimental groups (p = 0.001) compared to the control group. The experimental groups had a large ovarian diameter (2^nd wk: p = 0.044; 3rd wk: p = 0.005) and angiogenesis (2^nd wk: p = 0.003; 3rd wk: p = 0.001). In addition, significant enhancements were seen in the the experimental groups in terms of the number (2^nd wk: p = 0.017; p = 0.035) and diameter (2^nd wk: p = 0.046; 3rd wk: p = 0.004) of primordial follicles, as well as in the diameter of primary oocytes (2^nd wk: p = 0.073; 3rd wk: p = 0.019) compared to the control group. Moreover, rats that exercised had a lower number of apoptotic primordial follicles than the control group (2^nd wk: p = 0.001; 3rd wk: p = 0.001).
Conclusion: It was shown that maternal aerobic running can lead to increased plasma levels of estrogen and progesterone, also improved histological characteristics of the ovary in neonatal rats.