EFFECT OF REGULAR EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY ON DURATION OF LABOR: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Abstract

Background: Many women decide to focus on and improve their lifestyle when they discover that they are pregnant and exercise is an effective tool for preventing pregnancy-linked illnesses. This systematic review set out to investigate whether taking regular exercise during pregnancy impacts on the length of a woman’s labor. Method: Literature searches were undertaken; the following electronic databases were searched: PubMed, Cochrane, ProQuest Nursing, and MEDLINE. Also, the electronic database search was manual searching of reference lists in articles to locate any relevant related material that may not have been shown. The search was conducted from late 2018 through to 2022. The search was completed on 3rd of March 2022. Results: A total of three studies were included in the final synthesis of evidence. In this analysis, data from various other subjective studies were pooled together using the standardized mean difference statistic (SMD). The overall effect of regular exercise during pregnancy on duration of labor demonstrates a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control group (n=548, standardized mean difference (SMD) -1.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) -3.40 to -0.09, p = 0.04). Conclusion: This meta-analysis established that undertaking regular exercise throughout pregnancy has a positive effect on the duration of labor, and further clinical trials should be conducted to validate and replicate our findings. Keywords: Exercise, Labor duration, pregnancy