Efecto del ejercicio físico durante el embarazo en el peso feto-placentario y el riesgo de depresión perinatal maternaensayo clínico aleatorizado / effect of physical exercise during pregnancy on feto-placental weight and risk of maternal perinatal depression: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: The woman's body experiences numerous and important changes during pregnancy that affect both the physiological and the psychological. Objective: To examine the effect of an exercise program during pregnancy on the risk of perinatal depression and feto-placental weight. Methods: Healthy pregnant women who were < 16 weeks pregnant were randomly assigned to two different groups. Women in the Intervention Group (IG) participated in a 60-minute exercise program throughout pregnancy, 3 days per week, which was conducted from October 2014 to December 2016. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale was used to measure the risk of depression at the beginning of the study (12-16 weeks), at gestational week 38 and at 6 weeks postpartum. Birth weight and placental weight were measured at delivery, and were interrelated by the feto-placental weight index. Results: One hundred twenty four pregnant women were allocated to either the Intervention (IG = 70) or the Control (CG = 54) Groups. No differences were found in maternal characteristics (p > 0.05) and in the percentage of depressed women at baseline (20.0 % vs. 18.5 %) (χ2 = 0.043; p = 0.836). A smaller percentage of depressed women were identified in the IG compared to the CG at 38 gestational weeks (18.6 % vs. 35.6 %) (χ2 = 4.190; p = 0.041) and at 6 weeks postpartum (14.5 % vs. 29.8 %) (χ2 = 3.985; p = 0.046) using per-protocol analysis. No significant differences were found using the intention to treat analyses, except in the multiple imputation analysis at week 38 (18.6 % vs. 34.4 %) (χ2 = 4.085; p = 0.049). No significant differences were found between groups in birth weight, placental weight or fetus-placental index (p > 0.05). Conclusion: An exercise program performed during pregnancy may reduce the risk of prenatal depression and postpartum depression. The regular practice of physical exercise during pregnancy does not produce changes in the weight of the newborn, placental weight or feto-placental index.