Introduction: Postpartum depression is one of the most common complications of the postpartum period. It is frequently overlooked and only a small percentage of women seek treatment. Alternative and complementary approaches are gaining popularity due to the many factors that repel impacted women from engaging in standard forms of treatment. Physical activity is one of the potentially effective methods of preventing and alleviating the symptoms of postpartum depression but its impact has not yet been adequately studied. Purpose: Interest in complementary or alternative ways of treating postpartum depression underscores the importance of studying them thoroughly. Physical activity could be a low-cost and easily accessible method of preventing and managing postpartum depression. Because of that, the aim of this diploma work is to define its effectiveness. We want to determine whether prenatal physical activity is effective in preventing postpartum depression and how physical activity affects sick women. Methods: We used a descriptive method of work with a review of the English scientific literature that was published between 2017 and 2022. The literature collection was performed through PubMed (Medline), ScienceDirect, and Cinahl (EBSCO) databases and by Google Scholar. In total, we used 12 units of literature to answer the research questions, which, according to the hierarchy of evidence, were classified at least as level 3. Results: Physical activity is an effective method for preventing and alleviating the symptoms of postpartum depression. Discussion and conclusion: Physical activity provides many benefits for women's physical and psychological health during their perinatal period. It has no adverse side effects and is a safe complementary approach to the prevention and management of postpartum depression. Higher quality studies are necessary to better define the strength of the effect of physical activity on postpartum depression symptoms and the role of different modalities in its effectiveness.
|
