Effect of prenatal aerobic exercises on maternal and neonatal outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Afsaneh Veisy, Sakineh Mohammad Alizadeh Charandabi, Shahla Hematzadeh and 1 others
PMID 33683833WHAT IT FOUND
Prenatal aerobic exercise did not shorten the first or second stage of labour.
It did increase vaginal delivery, but evidence was low certainty and studies varied widely.
Key findings
01The primary labour duration outcomes were null: exercise did not significantly change first stage (MD -29.92, 95% CI -65.72 to 5.89, p=.10) or second stage (MD 0.31, 95% CI -3.23 to 3.86, p=.86).
02A significant pooled result was increased vaginal delivery (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.43, p=.003), a secondary outcome with high heterogeneity.
03Exercise did not significantly change gestational age (MD 0.14, 95% CI -0.65 to 0.94, p=.72) or birthweight (MD -26.28, 95% CI -59.90 to 7.34, p=.13).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The included trials had high heterogeneity, and the evidence was downgraded for inconsistency and risk of bias. Many trials had small sample sizes and did not fully explain how participants were allocated. Participants and providers could not be blinded, which raises performance bias. Exercise programmes varied in type, intensity, start time, session length and frequency, and some were supervised while others were not. Parity was not consistently reported or analysed, although labour duration differs between first and later pregnancies. Most trials enrolled healthy women with singleton pregnancies and no midwifery risk factors, so results may not apply to higher risk pregnancies. Many trials were from a single research group in Spain, and the reviewers did not receive responses to questions about protocols.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that prenatal aerobic exercise makes labour shorter. The pooled first and second stage differences were not significant. The positive finding was increased vaginal delivery, a secondary outcome with high heterogeneity.