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. 2021 Jun 28:12:640024.
doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.640024. eCollection 2021.

Exercise During Pregnancy and Prenatal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Miguel Sánchez-Polán  1 , Evelia Franco  2 , Cristina Silva-José  1 , Javier Gil-Ares  1   3 , Javier Pérez-Tejero  1   4 , Rubén Barakat  1   3 , Ignacio Refoyo  5
Affiliations

Exercise During Pregnancy and Prenatal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Miguel Sánchez-Polán et al. Front Physiol. .

Abstract

Background: Prenatal depression is associated with an increased risk of physical, physiological, cardiovascular, and psychological diseases for mothers and future newborns. Prenatal depression and depressive symptoms could have negative effects on the cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral development of children. Objective: This study aimed to examine the influence of exercise during pregnancy on the prevalence of prenatal depression and depressive symptoms in the scientific literature. Data Sources: A search was carried out examining different online databases up to November 2020. Methods of Study Selection: A systematic review with random effects meta-analysis was performed. Only randomized controlled trials published in English or Spanish with pregnant populations and interventions with exercise programs carried out during pregnancy were included. The scores obtained by the tools that measured the emotional state and depressive symptoms as well as the number and percentage of depressed women of the study groups were analyzed. Tabulation, Integration, and Results: We analyzed 15 studies and found a negative association between moderate exercise during pregnancy and prenatal depression (ES = -0.36, 95% CI = -0.58, -13, I 2 = 80.2%, Pheterogeneity = 0.001). In addition, the studies also showed that women who were inactive during pregnancy had a 16% higher probability of suffering prenatal depression [RR = 0.84 (95% IC = 0.74, 0.96) I 2 = 61.9%, Pheterogeneity = 0.010]. Conclusion: Supervised exercise during pregnancy may be useful for the prevention and reduction of prenatal depression and depressive symptoms. Systematic Review Registration: Registered in PROSPERO (Registration No. CRD42020164819).

Keywords: exercise; fetus; model; pregnancy; prenatal depression.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the retrieved and analyzed articles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of exercise on the score obtained for the participants on the administered questionnaires.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of exercise programs during pregnancy on the probability of experiencing prenatal depression.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Risk of bias summary.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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