Overweight and obesity have known association with maternal and infant physical health. A meta‐analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of physical exercise on maternal and infant outcomes in overweight and obese pregnant women. The findings are published in the journal Birth.

Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov. were searched for English‐language articles based on randomized controlled trials that assessed physical exercise in overweight and obese pregnant women and its effect on maternal and infant outcomes. Primary outcomes included gestational weight gain and a relative risk of gestational diabetes. Secondary outcomes included gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, birthweight, large for gestational age, small for gestational age, macrosomia, and preterm birth. The results of integration were reported as relative risks (RR), mean difference, or standard mean difference with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Thirteen studies involving 1439 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Physical exercise was found to decrease gestational weight gain and the risk of gestational diabetes in overweight and obese pregnant women. However, there were no significant differences in gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, birthweight, large for gestational age, small for gestational age, macrosomia, and preterm birth.

Prenatal exercise interventions thus reduced gestational weight gain and the risk of gestational diabetes for overweight and obese pregnant women. The finding underscores the benefits of exercise during pregnancy.