Abstract
This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the benefits of prenatal exercise on neonatal outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus from their inception to September 9, 2023. ClinicalTrials.gov was also searched to ensure comprehensive coverage. We included studies that investigated the association between prenatal exercise and at least one adverse neonatal outcome of interest. A total of 4,268 publications were retrieved, and 3,060 records remained after removing duplicates. After screening abstracts, 107 studies were selected for full-text assessment, and ultimately, 17 articles (including 4 identified through manual searching) were included for data extraction. Extracted information included the first author, publication year, study design, geographical location, sample size, participants' demographic characteristics, intervention characteristics, and relevant outcome variables.Pooled results from random-effects models showed that prenatal exercise significantly reduced the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes, including: Cesarean delivery (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.88-0.94), Premature birth (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.27-0.90), Macrosomia (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.40-0.83), Fetal growth restriction (OR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.08-0.52), and Birth trauma (OR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.13-0.54). Subgroup analyses indicated that single-component exercise programs were more effective than multi-component programs in reducing the risk of macrosomia (P = 0.06). In conclusion, prenatal exercise substantially reduces the risk of multiple adverse neonatal outcomes in women with GDM, including macrosomia, preterm birth, cesarean delivery, fetal growth restriction, and birth trauma. These findings highlight the outstanding benefits of antenatal exercise for fetal health, supporting its inclusion as a key component of prenatal care for women with GDM. This meta-analysis is registered with PROSPERO (Registration Number: CRD42023485375).