No abstract

The integrated yoga is an efficacious means of improving the quality of life of pregnant women and enhancing certain aspects of their interpersonal relationships.

Introduction. Impaired placentation and inadequate trophoblast invasion have been associated with the etiology of many pregnancy complications and have been correlated with the first trimester uterine artery resistance. Previous studies have shown the benefits of yoga in improving pregnancy outcomes and those of yogic visualization in revitalizing the human tissues. Methods. 59 high-risk pregnant women were randomized into yoga (n = 27) and control (n = 32) groups. The yoga group received standard care plus yoga sessions (1 hour/day, 3 times/week), from 12th to 28th week of gestation. The control group received standard care plus conventional antenatal exercises (walking). Measurements were assessed at 12th, 20th, and 28th weeks of gestation. Results. RM-ANOVA showed significantly higher values in the yoga group (28th week) for biparietal diameter (P = 0.001), head circumference (P = 0.002), femur length (P = 0.005), and estimated fetal weight (P = 0.019). The resistance index in the right uterine artery (P = 0.01), umbilical artery (P = 0.011), and fetal middle cerebral artery (P = 0.048) showed significantly lower impedance in the yoga group. Conclusion. The results of this first randomized study of yoga in high-risk pregnancy suggest that guided yogic practices and visualization can improve the intrauterine fetal growth and the utero-fetal-placental circulation.

Background:Yoga improves maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancy. Platelet Count and Uric acid (Ua) are valuable screening measures in high-risk pregnancy.Aim:To examine the effect of yoga on platelet counts and serum Ua in high-risk pregnancy.Materials and Methods:This stratified randomized controlled trial, conducted by S-VYASA University at St. John's Medical College Hospital and Gunasheela Maternity Hospital, recruited 68 women with high-risk pregnancy (30 yoga and 38 controls) in the twelfth week of pregnancy. The inclusion criteria were: Bad obstetrics history, twin pregnancies, maternal age < 20 or > 35 years, obesity (BMI > 30), and genetic history of pregnancy complications. Those with normal pregnancy, anemia (< 10 grams%dl), h/o clotting disorders; renal, hepatic or heart disease; seizure disorder; or structural abnormalities in the pelvis, were excluded. The yoga group practiced simple meditative yoga (three days / week for three months).Results:At baseline, all women had normal platelet counts (> 150×109/L) with a decrease as pregnancy advanced. Ua (normal at baseline) increased in both groups. No one developed abnormal thrombocytopenia or hyperuricemia. Healthy reduction in platelet count (twelfth to twentieth week) occurred in a higher (P < 0.001, Chi2 test) number of women in the yoga group than the control group. A similar trend was found in uric acid. Significantly lesser number of women in the yoga group (n = 3) developed pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) / pre-eclampsia (PE) than those in the control group (n = 12), with absolute risk reduction (ARR) by 21%.Conclusion:Antenatal integrated yoga from the twelfth week is safe and effective in promoting a healthy progression of platelets and uric acid in women with high-risk pregnancy, pointing to healthy hemodilution and better physiological adaptation.

Background:Improvements in technology have increased the chances of survival for the micro-premature infant and the very low birth-weight infant but have significantly increased the financial burden of health care organizations. This economic burden has a significant impact on third-party payers and on society in general.Aim:The study was designed to assess yoga therapy (YT) module on maternal stress level in high risk pregnancy.Subjects and Methods:In the present study, sixty-eight pregnant women (38 in the control group with standard antenatal care and 30 in the YT group) with 27.2 (5.2) years of mean age recruited from the outpatient services of medical college and hospital in Bangalore, South India, were participated. The study was a single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial. Perceived stress scale (PSS) was measured during the 12th, 20th, and 28th weeks of pregnancy. SPSS version 16.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) was used for all data analysis. When the data were found to be normally distributed, the RMANOVA were used to assess the PSS scores between the yoga and control groups. Significant values were set at P < 0.05.Results:There was a significant difference in the PSS level of the YT group with significantly reduced scores at the second follow-up (28th week of pregnancy) compared to the control group (P = 0.02). Women who took part in the YT module reported significantly fewer pregnancy discomforts decrease in PSS (P = 0.02) than the control group where the stress level was increased (RMANOVA test using SPSS-16).Conclusion:The present study suggests that the YT module can decrease the stress level during high-risk pregnancy complications. Thus, practicing YT during high-risk pregnancy is not only a cost-effective option but also a feasible and safe option. Additional well-designed studies are needed before a strong recommendation can be made.