The effect of physical activity on reproductive health outcomes in young women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AbstractBACKGROUNDIn the context of increasing rates of overweight and obesity in young adult women, and the increasing numbers of women seeking help for fertility problems, it is important to understand whether physical activity (PA) could help with management of reproductive health problems, with or without weight loss.OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALEThe primary aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effects of PA on selected reproductive health outcomes in young adult women, in order to inform best practice advice for women in terms of promoting fertility and reproductive health in young adulthood.SEARCH METHODSAn electronic search of PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Web of Science, SportDiscus, and Cochrane was performed for studies published between January 2000 and May 2018. Keywords and Medical Subject Headings terms related to PA, reproductive health, and weight gain were used. Studies were selected if they were intervention studies, if PA was delivered as part of an intervention to pre-menopausal women, and if any reproductive health outcome was reported. Quality analysis was performed using the Tool for the assEssment of Study qualiTy and reporting in EXercise.OUTCOMESEighteen studies, with a mix of four types of study design (4 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 11 randomized comparison trials, 2 non-randomized comparison trials, and 1 single-arm clinical trial), were identified. Compar...
Source: Human Reproduction Update - Category: OBGYN Source Type: research