Pregnancy exercise trials give mixed results for mood symptoms
Selected analyses suggested depression benefits, while analysis by original group assignment found no clear differences in symptom scores.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Supervised activity during pregnancy showed some encouraging depression findings, including fewer participants with symptoms compatible with depression near delivery. However, the intention-to-treat analysis found no statistically clear differences in depression, anxiety or stress scores during or after pregnancy. The abstract therefore offers mixed evidence across outcomes and analyses.
The abstract reports inconsistent total and group enrollment counts and no size for symptom-score differences. This limits assessment of the sample and the practical importance of selected positive findings.
What researchers found
Depression, anxiety and stress scores
Activity versus control during and after pregnancy in the intention-to-treat analysis, which kept participants in their assigned groups.
Different analyses, different signals
Depression scores were lower in the analysis restricted to participants meeting protocol criteria. Fewer intervention participants had symptoms compatible with depression, including in the analysis that kept participants in their originally assigned groups.
Attendance needs cautious interpretation
Women with higher attendance had lower depression and state-anxiety scores than those with low attendance. Attendance was not described as randomly assigned, so this comparison cannot establish that attending more sessions caused better outcomes.
The original publication
Physical activity during pregnancy and depression, anxiety and stress: randomized clinical trials.
Sánchez-Polán M, Brik M, Silva-Jose C et al.
Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41207563
- Record checked
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