Postpartum Exercise Cuts Odds of Postpartum Depression
THURSDAY, Nov. 7, 2024 -- Odds of postpartum depression are reduced by 45 percent in individuals who engaged in postpartum exercise, according to a review published online Nov. 5 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Andy Deprato, from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to examine the influence of postpartum exercise on maternal depression and anxiety.
Based on 35 studies (4,072 individuals), the researchers found with moderate-certainty evidence that exercise-only interventions reduced the severity of postpartum depressive symptoms (19 randomized controlled trials [RCTs]; standardized mean differences [SMDs]: −0.52; I2 = 86 percent; moderate effect size) and anxiety symptoms (two RCTs; SMD: −0.25; I2 = 0 percent; small effect size) and the odds of postpartum depression (four RCTs; odds ratio, 0.55; I2 = 0 percent) versus no exercise. Postpartum individuals needed to accumulate at least 350 MET-minutes/week of exercise (e.g., 80 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise such as brisk walking, water aerobics, stationary cycling, or resistance training) to achieve at least a moderate reduction in the severity of postpartum depressive symptoms.
"These data support the engagement in postpartum physical activity to prevent or improve depressive symptoms as a low-cost and acceptable intervention," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Read this next
Lung Cancer Screening Beneficial to Age 80 for Candidates Fit for Surgery
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2025 -- People aged 75 to 80 years at last screen who are diagnosed with screen-detected lung cancer (LC) have lower overall survival, but those undergoing...
Sex Differences Seen in Characteristics, Course of Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2025 -- Significant sex differences are seen in the characteristics and course of schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD), according to a study published...
Potentially Inappropriate Medications Linked to Frailty at Cancer Diagnosis
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2025 -- For patients with newly diagnosed cancer, an increasing number of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), as identified by the Geriatric Oncology...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.