Aquatic Exercise to Treat Pregnancy Related Issues in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Wide ranges of physiological changes occur as a result of pregnancy in women that, in certain cases, may cause variety of psychological and physical problems in pregnant women. Aquatic exercises believed to be safe for pregnant women and believed to foster positive effect on psychophysical health. Current health care setting and nursing emphasizes on evidence based approaches when developing and implementing interventions to address health related issues of pregnant women.
 Purpose: This review sought to synthesize qualitatively the existing research evidences concerning association between aquatic exercises and psychophysical problems in pregnant women.
 Methods: A 1989 records were yielded as result of conducting a systematic search in nine research data bases. After undergoing rigorous screening and assessment procedure of eligibility, and quality appraisal, a total of seventeen research articles were ultimately selected to include in this review.
 Result: Out of seventeen admissible studies, ten studies found that aquatic exercises exerts positive impact to decreases variety of physical discomforts such as fatigue, pelvic pain, labor pain, and edema. The remaining seven studies presented beneficial effects of aquatic exercises for psychological factors such as body image, stress, depression, feelings, mood, distress, and anxiety in pregnant women. Moreover, among the seventeen studies, only two studies showed effectiveness of aquatic exercises to manage body weight and two studies found improvement in sleep during pregnancy. 
 Conclusion: This review found some evidence in support of the efficacy of aquatic exercises to reduce physical discomfort and improve psychological factors in pregnant women. More studies essential to reach stronger conclusion. The existing evidence concerning effectiveness of this intervention for weight management and sleep health during pregnancy is insufficient.