The Effect of Pilates Exercises on Antenatal Depression in Overweight Women

Abstract Background: Depression is a widespread mental health condition that negatively impacts various aspects of quality of life, with anxiety often exacerbating these effects. Mater-nal depression during pregnancy is linked to several adverse outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age, stillbirth, and maternal health issues such as perinatal complications, a higher likelihood of operative deliv-eries, and postpartum depression. To mitigate these risks, it is essential to screen, monitor, and manage depression careful-ly, considering the balance of risks and benefits. While anti-depressants are a common treatment for antenatal depression, their use is generally avoided due to potential risks to the fetus, making alternatives like psychotherapy and exercise more fa-vorable. There is a recognized relationship between obesity and depression, with each condition increasing the risk of the other. Aim of Study: This study aims to explore the impact of Pi-lates exercises on antenatal depression in overweight women. Material and Methods: Forty overweight multiparous pregnant women diagnosed with depression from week 20 till week 32 of the pregnancy. Their body mass index did not ex-ceed 30Kg/m2 at the beginning of the pregnancy. The women’s score on the Edinburgh post-natal depression scale was above 12, indicating a probable depressive disorder. The design of this study is an experimental randomized control trial. Group A (control group): It consisted of 20 overweight pregnant women who took their vitamins and any medication prescribed by their Gynecologist without performing any type of exercise. Group B (treatment group): It contained 20 overweight pregnant wom-en who took the same medications and vitamins as Group A and the Pilates exercise program for pregnant women. The Pilates program was applied from week 20 till week 32. Measurements of BMI were taken using a standard weight-height scale, and depressive symptoms were evaluated using the EPDS at base-line and after treatment for both groups A & B. Results: Post-intervention EPDS scores in Group B de-creased significantly by 75.82% (p<0.001), whereas Group A’s scores remained statistically unchanged (p>0.05). At baseline, both groups had similar EPDS scores (p>0.05), but post-treat-ment comparisons showed significantly lower scores in Group B relative to Group A (p>0.001). Conclusion: It can be concluded that Pilates exercises dur-ing pregnancy are effective in the treatment of antepartum de-pression, according to this study.