Longitudinal Changes of Depressive Symptoms in Sedentary Women Who Exercised During Pregnancy

Prenatal depression is a common disorder; however, little is known about how depressive symptoms manifest during pregnancy, including when symptoms present and what symptoms are common. This study aimed to better understand prenatal depressive symptoms during pregnancy in the postpartum period, as well as how exercise, such as walking and stretching, can improve depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

A total of 55 women were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II for depressive symptoms at 16 weeks, 28 weeks, and 2 months postpartum. Sedentary pregnant women at-risk for preeclampsia were randomly assigned to either a stretching or walking group for 40 minutes five times a week from 18 weeks of gestation until birth. The primary analyses were analysis of variance and mixed-effects models.

All depressive symptoms decreased throughout pregnancy during the postpartum period, although this trend was not statistically significant. Cognitive-affective and somatic depressive symptoms had different trajectories during pregnancy into the postpartum period, but no significant difference was found. Statistically significant improvements were observed in loss of energy and change in sleeping pattern for the walking and stretching groups.

The finding that physical activity improves the depressive symptoms' loss of energy and changes in sleeping patterns during pregnancy aligns with the existing literature, but little research has examined how individual depressive symptoms change throughout pregnancy into the postpartum period. Gaining a better understanding of the trajectories and manifestations of depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum period is essential for improving detection and treatment practices. Understanding when and how depressive symptoms are present is critical for the clinical diagnosis of this disorder.