Review of the efficacy of aquatic exercise during pregnancy

INTRODUCTION: currently, there has been an increase in the number of pregnant women who are interested in doing physical exercise during pregnancy, and particularly in the aquatic setting. The results of studies published on this matter are very few, and therefore more studies are required in order to clarify the benefits and risks of these activities, both for the mother and the foetus. OBJECTIVE: assessment of the efficacy of moderate aquatic exercise during pregnancy in their physiology, and outcomes in maternal and foetal health. METHOD: systematic review based on evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), systematic reviews (SRs), randomized controlled clinical trials (CTs), and quasi-experimental studies (QESs), with interventions where moderate aquatic exercise during pregnancy was compared with any other physical exercise, or with no intervention. The databases analyzed were: Guía Salud, National Guidelines Clearinghouse(NGC), TripDatabase, PubMed (Medline) and Embase. The search period was limited from January, 2003 to January, 2013. RESULTS: after eliminating duplicates, 23 references located were analyzed, 11 of which were selected for critical reading, and subsequently became part of the study. Those selected for critical reading included three systematic reviews, three randomized clinical trials, one clinical practice guideline, and four quasi-experimental studies. CONCLUSIONS: moderate aquatic exercise during pregnancy is a safe and effective alternative for the binomial mother-child. Due to the scarcity and heterogeneity of the data found, additional research is required