Grant: Prize - IHDCYH Talks

Depression affects approximately 13% of pregnant women and is established to have immediate and persisting adverse impacts on both mother and child. Standard treatments for depression include pharmacological and psychological intervention but the long term impact of some medications on the fetus have not been established and psychotherapy can be costly and difficult to access. Alternative therapies and preventative measures are needed in the perinatal period. Our team reviewed the impact of randomized controlled trials comparing an exercise intervention plus standard care to standard care alone. We found that prenatal exercise reduced the odds of developing depression during pregnancy by 67%, and reduced the severity of prenatal depressive symptoms. In a second review, we found that exercise in the postpartum period also improved the severity of depressive symptoms and reduced the risk of postpartum depression. It is our hope that this video will raise awareness and provide pregnant/postpartum women and their health-care providers with an informative overview of the importance of exercise for mental health. We believe that this video is an important step in promoting the health and development of mothers and their growing babies in Canada and throughout the world.