Isolated physical activity programs during pregnancy and postpartum: Meta-analysis of randomized trials with usual-care controls on depressive and anxiety symptoms
Daniela Aparecida de Faria, Victor Antonio Ferreira Freire, Dayanne Gabriela de Melo Marques, Paulo Henrique Nogueira da Fonseca, Kelly de Freitas Santos, Crystian Bitencourt Oliveira, Luiza Oliveira Perucci, Marina de Barros Pinheiro, Melina Barros-Pinheiro · 2026
Read Isolated physical activity programs during pregnancy and postpartum: Meta-analysis of randomized trials with usual-care controls on depressive and anxiety symptoms by Daniela Aparecida de Faria, Victor Antonio Ferreira Freire, Dayanne Gabriela de Melo Marques, Paulo Henrique Nogueira da Fonseca, Kelly de Freitas Santos, Crystian Bitencourt Oliveira, Luiza Oliveira Perucci, Marina de Barros Pinheiro, Melina Barros-Pinheiro (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13572343.txt.
Description
Daniela Aparecida de Faria and co-authors pool the trials on whether exercise alone eases depression and anxiety around childbirth, in this 2026 meta-analysis. Many programs bundle activity with therapy or diet, leaving the movement effect unclear. This review keeps only randomized trials where physical activity stood alone against usual care, in pregnant or postpartum women. The search followed standard Cochrane and reporting rules, and the protocol was registered in advance.
Pooling the trials gives a fairer estimate than any single small study. If movement by itself helps, the prescription is cheap, safe, and free of drug concerns in a sensitive period. If it does not, programs can stop crediting the wrong ingredient. Either way, perinatal care gets a cleaner answer.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Daniela Aparecida de Faria, Victor Antonio Ferreira Freire, Dayanne Gabriela de Melo Marques, Paulo Henrique Nogueira da Fonseca, Kelly de Freitas Santos, Crystian Bitencourt Oliveira, Luiza Oliveira Perucci, Marina de Barros Pinheiro, Melina Barros-Pinheiro |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 120 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |