Effect of prenatal aerobic exercises on maternal and neonatal outcomes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of prenatal aerobic exercises on maternal and neonatal outcomes. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. METHOD: A search was carried out in databases including PubMed, ProQuest, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, Magiran and SID until 30 September 2020. Two reviewers independently assessed the articles for quality and risk of bias using the Cochrane handbook. The statistical heterogeneity was determined using the Cochran's Q test and Higgins' I (2) coefficient. RESULTS: Of the 2,790 extracted articles, 16 were included in this review. The results of the meta‐analysis showed that prenatal exercise can increase the frequency of vaginal delivery significantly (RR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.08–1.43), but had no statistically significant effect on other maternal and neonatal outcomes, such as first, second and third stages of labour, gestational age at birth, first and fifth‐minute Apgar score, umbilical cord pH, neonatal weight, height and head circumference (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The meta‐analysis results suggested that prenatal exercise can reduce the frequency of caesarean section.