Third-Trimester Obstetric Exercise Significantly Reduces Depression and Physical Symptoms in Pregnant Women: Study

Could targeted exercise, even in the final weeks of pregnancy, quickly improve mood and ease discomfort? A new randomized controlled trial published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth offers answers with practical value for clinicians managing third-trimester patients.

Study Design: Supervised Exercise vs. Routine Care

Researchers in Türkiye randomized 100 women in their third trimester to either a 4-week obstetric exercise program (supervised weekly sessions plus prescribed home routine) or routine antenatal care. The exercise protocol included low-impact strengthening, flexibility, and relaxation components delivered by physiotherapists.

Patient-reported outcomes:

Primary outcome: Pregnancy Symptoms Inventory (PSI) — measuring frequency and impact of common pregnancy complaints.

Secondary outcome: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) — evaluating depressive symptom severity.

Key Results: Lower Symptom Burden and Improved Mood

By the end of the 4-week program, women in the exercise group reported:

Significantly reduced pregnancy-related symptoms compared to controls, with an adjusted mean difference in PSI of –28.5 (95% CI: –40.85 to –16.11; p < 0.001).

Lower depressive symptom severity, with an adjusted mean group difference in BDI of –5.8 (95% CI: –8.65 to –2.91; p < 0.001).

Results were consistent in both complete-case and intention-to-treat analyses. No exercise-related injuries or obstetric complications were reported.

Clinical Implications: Fast-Acting, Non-Pharmacological Option

This study highlights that even a short, structured obstetric exercise program can make a meaningful difference for late pregnancy patients, reducing both the physical and emotional burdens encountered near term. For clinicians, recommending or integrating supervised exercise into third-trimester care may help patients feel better physically, function more easily, and buffer against mood disturbances — all with minimal risk. Notably, the sample’s baseline depression scores were below clinical cut-off, suggesting value for a broad patient population, not just those with diagnosed depression.

What Are the Limitations?

The study was single-center, with a moderate sample size and relatively brief follow-up (4 weeks).

Generalizability to high-risk pregnancies or other populations remains to be established.

Effects beyond the short-term are unknown; future multicenter and longitudinal studies are needed.

Conclusion

A supervised third-trimester exercise program can safely lower both depressive symptoms and daily physical complaints, providing a practical, non-drug strategy for clinical antenatal care. Even modest programs can empower women and improve pregnancy experience as term approaches.

Key points

A 4-week, supervised obstetric exercise program reduced pregnancy complaints and depressive symptoms versus routine care.

The benefits were observed even in women without clinically significant depression at baseline.

No intervention-related adverse events were reported, supporting safety in low-risk pregnancies.

Structured prenatal exercise can be a valuable addition to third-trimester care for physical and emotional support.

Larger, longer-term studies are needed to confirm generalizability and sustained effects.

Citation:

Çelik M, Kaplan M, Çelik G, Şimşek H, Çakar F. Effects of a third-trimester obstetric exercise program on depressive symptoms and pregnancy-related complaints: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2026; [In Press]. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-026-10117-0