Physical activity helps with perinatal depressive, anxiety symptoms in women

Light-to-moderate physical activity appears to exert positive effects on perinatal depressive and anxiety symptoms in women, according to a meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for studies evaluating the benefit of physical activity interventions in relation to perinatal depression and/or anxiety outcomes. A total of 20 systematic reviews with meta-analyses met eligibility criteria and were included.

The systematic reviews comprised 374 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 73,175 participants ages 14–50 years on average. These RCTs were conducted across North America, Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, South America, and Africa. Six reviews focused on the prenatal period, five on the postpartum period, and nine on the entire perinatal period.

Yoga was the most common physical activity intervention. Comparisons included standard care, no intervention, and waitlist or active control. Outcomes were measured using self-report screening tools or diagnostic interviews, and most RCTs used the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.

Random-effects meta-analyses showed that for depressive symptoms, overall physical activity was associated with symptom reductions during the perinatal period with moderate certainty of evidence (standardized mean difference [SMD], −0.56, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], −0.93 to −0.19).

Furthermore, the effects of light-intensity physical activity on perinatal depressive symptoms (SMD, −0.52, 95 percent CI, −0.81 to −0.23) were similar to those of moderate-intensity (SMD, −0.43, 95 percent CI, −0.64 to −0.22) and mixed-intensity (SMD, −0.52, 95 percent CI, −0.80 to −0.24) interventions. Yoga was found to be especially beneficial (SMD, −0.55, 95 percent CI, −0.95 to −0.15), as was mixed activity (SMD, −0.54, 95 percent CI, −0.70 to −0.38).

For anxiety, physical activity also conferred beneficial effects (SMD, −0.85, 95 percent CI, −1.29 to −0.42), although research was limited.

The findings support the consideration of physical activity as a nonpharmacological, feasible, and cost-effective approach to address perinatal depression and anxiety.