The covid-19 pandemic, unexpectedly extended over time, has highlighted a traditionally neglected public health problem: psychological and emotional complications during pregnancy. A reality with a growing incidence in the pregnant population whose solution does not seem simple.
Mental and emotional health care for pregnant women requires urgent attention. Among other things, it is necessary to implement new strategies that, without putting the health of the mother and baby at risk, act as a preventive factor for high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, etc. And that’s where physical exercise comes into play.
Pregnancy, a unique and determining process
Pregnancy (and the birth that ends it) is the only vital process that involves the modification of all the body systems of the woman. From the biological point of view, the greatest challenge for the pregnant woman is the proper functioning of her entire organism, in order to ensure the growth and development of the fetus inside the mother’s womb.
This process is not exempt from complications and pathologies of various kinds. And that includes alterations of a psychic and emotional nature that, according to the scientific literature, suppose important risks for maternal, fetal and newborn health, both during and following pregnancy. Among other things because it alters the brain microstructure and causes changes in brain development in the first months and can bring future emotional and behavioral problems.
The impact of the pandemic
Unfortunately, the impact of covid-19 has caused an unprecedented global crisis. The necessary measures taken by the administrations have caused and will generate in the near future a large number of complications and pathologies that are difficult to foresee, especially with regard to factors such as reduced mobility, impossibility of grouping and social gatherings or difficulty of interactions of all kinds.
In this sense, the pregnant population is, due to the very nature of the pregnancy and childbirth process, among the population groups at higher risk from covid-19. Thinking regarding the immediate future, it is urgent to design and develop an adequate and effective preventive strategy.
Supervised physical exercise seems to be an effective preventive factor
What is the best alternative? In the last 20 years, physical exercise during pregnancy has proven to be an effective element of care and comprehensive health improvement of the pregnant woman. Not only because it prevents gestational diabetes and excessive weight gain. In addition, it reduces the problems of hypertension, urinary incontinence and low back pain, as well as the problems of anxiety Y antenatal depression. And all without ever putting maternal-fetal well-being at risk.
The fetus is also not indifferent to whether its mother exercises or leads a sedentary life. The positive effects of moderate exercise during pregnancy on fetal growth and development, as well as in the early stages of the baby’s development, are more than proven. Among other things, it has been seen that maternal sedentary lifestyle increases by 2.5 times the risk that the baby born with a macrosomia (high weight). Although the most striking thing is that the exercise of the pregnant woman reduces the risk that her child, when growing, develops diabetes or any other type of metabolic disease.
To delve into the effectiveness of physical exercise throughout pregnancy in preventing mental and emotional disorders, the Research Group on Physical-Sports Activity in Specific Populations of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (AFIPE RPM) has an ambitious project in hand. It will be carried out in collaboration with 5 University Hospitals in Madrid (Severo Ochoa in Leganés, Puerta de Hierro in Majadahonda and Torrejón) and Barcelona (Vall d’Hebrón and Clínic), with a multidisciplinary work team made up of professionals from the Sciences of Physical Activity and Sports and experts in the field of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Psychology.
If it is confirmed that anxiety, depression and other emotional problems associated with pregnancy are reduced by practicing physical exercise, it will be necessary to emphasize that primary care physicians and gynecologists actively recommend it to their pregnant patients, including it among the protocol obstetric guidelines that a healthy pregnant woman receives.