Table 2 Basic features of the included literature

Barakat R (2012) [29]

Spain

40/43

T: 22.70 ± 2.80

C: 23.00 ± 2.90

T: 32.00 ± 4.00

C: 31.00 ± 3.00

Healthy pregnant women

Land/aquatic activities

35–45 min session, 3 times a week

Weeks (6–9) to (38–39)

Barakat R (2014) [23]

Spain

107/93

T: 23.78 ± 4.40

C: 24.09 ± 4.32

T: 31.57 ± 3.87

C: 31.51 ± 3.92

Healthy pregnant women

Physical conditioning program

55–60 min, 3 days per week

Weeks (9–13) to (39–40)

Fernandez-Buhigas I (2020) [24]

Spain

41/51

T: 22.81 ± 3.54

C: 23.80 ± 5.09

T: 33.17 ± 3.19

C: 32.63 ± 4.66

General pregnancy

Supervised physical conditioning program

30 mins per day at least 3 times per week

Weeks (12^+ 3–15^+ 6 to (38^+ 0–39^+ 6)

Fieril KP (2015) [25]

Sweden

38/34

T: 22.60 ± 2.50

C: 23.00 ± 2.60

T: 30.80 ± 3.60

C: 30.60 ± 3.40

General pregnancy

High-repetition, resistance training

2 times a week

Weeks 14 to 25

Garnæs KK (2016) [26]

Norway

38/36

T: 33.90 ± 3.80

C: 35.10 ± 4.60

T: 31.30 ± 3.80

C: 31.40 ± 4.70

Obese pregnant women

Hospital/home exercise； muscle exercises

3 times weekly; 50 mins at least once

Weeks (12–18) to delivery

Guelfi KJ (2016) [30]

Australia

84/85

<25 (85)

25 ~ 29.90 (57)

≥30 (38)

T: 33.60 ± 4.10

C: 33.80 ± 3.90

Women with history of GDM

Supervised home-based exercise program

20–30 min to a maximum of 60 mins, 3 times a week

Started weeks (12–14), lasted for 14 weeks

Haakstad LA (2016) [19]

Norway

35/26

T: 22.90 ± 3.20

C: 23.00 ± 3.10

T: 31.50 ± 3.10

C: 29.40 ± 3.80

Healthy pregnant women

Aerobic exercise

60 mins 2/week

Started weeks (12–24)

Halse RE (2015) [31]

Australia

20/20

T: 25.20 ± 6.70

C: 26.40 ± 7.10

T: 34.00 ± 5.00

C: 32.00 ± 3.00

Pregnancy with GDM

Supervised home-based exercise program

4 supervised exercise sessions each week, 2 unsupervised exercise sessions

Weeks (28.8 ± 0.9) to (34.6 ± 0.3)

Khoram S (2019) [16]

Iran

36/36

T: 27.36 ± 3.64

C: 34.97 ± 4.37

T: 31.91 ± 4.62

C: 31.00 ± 5.29

Pregnant women susceptible to GH

Walking program

20–30 min，4 times a week

Weeks 14 to 34

Kim YJ (2018) [27]

Korea

23/22

Not mentioned

T: 32.22 ± 2.58

C: 31.50 ± 4.48

High risk pregnant women

Structured bed exercise

4 times in total from the 3th day hospitalization once per day for 4 days, for 30 mins per time

Not mentioned

Nascimento SL (2011) [28]

Brazil

39/41

T: 29.70 ± 6.80

C: 30.90 ± 5.90

T: 34.80 ± 6.60

C: 36.40 ± 6.90

Overweight/ obese pregnant women

Supervised exercise; home exercise

40 mins weekly

Lasted for mean of 12.3 weeks

Perales M (2020) [10]

Spain

688/660

T: 23.50 ± 3.90

C: 23.60 ± 4.00

T: 32.00 ± 4.00

C: 31.00 ± 4.00

General pregnancy

Moderate intensity exercise program

50 to 55 mins sessions

Weeks 9 to 38/39

Sá JC (2016) [18]

Brazil

15/15

T: 2.10 ± 4.00

C: 32.30 ± 5.80

25.80 ± 4.80

Overweight/ obese sedentary PCOS women

Walking / jogging

3 times per week

Lasted for 16 weeks

Seneviratne SN (2016) [32]

New Zealand

37/37

≥25.00

18.00–40.00

Overweight and obese pregnant women

Moderate intensity stationary cycling programme

Between 15 and 30 mins per session, 3-5sessions per week

Lasted for 16 weeks

Stutzman SS (2010) [22]

Canada

11/11

T: 26.20 ± 5.99

C: 26.76 ± 5.98

T: 26.76 ± 5.98

C: 26.02 ± 4.40

Normal and overweight pregnant women

Low-intensity walking program

5 days per week

Lasted for or 16 weeks

Huifen Z (2022) [34]

China

46/43

T: 23.03 ± 5.22

C: 21.98 ± 2.96

T: 31.84 ± 5.19

C:31.35 ± 4.72

GDM women

resistance exercise of upper and lower

limb muscles

3 times per week

at least 6 weeks

Silva-Jose C (2021) [35]

Spain

31/41

T:22.61 ± 3.22

C:23.06 ± 7.80

T:32.29 ± 6.36

C:33.93 ± 4.59

singleton and uncomplicated pregnancy

virtual supervised exercise program

3 weekly sessions of 55–60 min

8–10 and 38–

39 weeks of pregnancy

Vinter CA (2011) [33]

Denmark

150/154

T: 33.89 ± 3.59

C: 34.00 ± 3.89

T: 29.35 ± 3.74

C: 28.65 ± 3.74

Obese pregnant women

Not mentioned

Moderately physically active 30-60 mins daily

Lasted for 6 months