1 2897 101 [EFFECTS OF A YOGA-FOCUSED PRENATAL PROGRAM ON STRESS, ANXIETY, SELF CONFIDENCE AND LABOR PAIN IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH IN VITRO FERTILIZATION TREATMENT]. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO IDENTIFY THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA-FOCUSED PRENATAL PROGRAM ON THE STRESS, ANXIETY, SELF CONFIDENCE AND LABOR PAIN OF PREGNANT WOMEN WHO HAD IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF) TREATMENT. METHODS: A QUASI EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH A NON-EQUIVALENT CONTROL GROUP PRETEST-POSTTEST DESIGN WAS USED. THE DATA COLLECTION PERIOD AND MEDITATION PROGRAM WERE BETWEEN JANUARY 9 AND AUGUST 31, 2009. FORTY-SIX WOMEN WHO WERE PREGNANT FOLLOWING IVF, AND WERE BETWEEN 12-20 WEEKS GESTATION, PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY (23 EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, 23 CONTROL GROUP). DATA WERE ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARE TEST, MANN-WHITNEY U TEST, ANCOVA, AND CRONBACH'S ALPHA COEFFICIENTS WITH THE SPSS 12.0 FOR WINDOWS PROGRAM. RESULTS: ALTHOUGH THE SAMPLE SIZE WAS LIMITED, WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN STRESS, ANXIETY, LABOR PAIN, AND LABOR CONFIDENCE FOR WOMEN PREGNANT AFTER IVF. CONCLUSION: THE RESULT INDICATE THAT THIS 12-WEEK YOGA-FOCUSED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM CAN BE UTILIZED FOR WOMEN PREGNANT FOLLOWING IVF TO REDUCE THEIR STRESS, ANXIETY, AND LABOR PAIN, AND TO INCREASE DELIVERY CONFIDENCE. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE YOGA-FOCUSED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM BE OFFERED TO EVERY PREGNANT WOMAN. 2012 2 2147 29 THE EFFECTS OF MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA DURING PREGNANCY ON MATERNAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL DISTRESS. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND LEVEL OF ACCEPTABILITY OF A MINDFUL YOGA INTERVENTION PROVIDED DURING PREGNANCY AND TO GATHER PRELIMINARY DATA ON THE EFFICACY OF THE INTERVENTION IN REDUCING DISTRESS. DESIGN: BASELINE AND POST-TREATMENT MEASURES EXAMINED STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY, PERCEIVED STRESS, PAIN, AND MORNING SALIVARY CORTISOL IN A SINGLE TREATMENT GROUP. POSTINTERVENTION DATA ALSO INCLUDED PARTICIPANT EVALUATION OF THE INTERVENTION. SETTING: THE 7 WEEKS MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA GROUP INTERVENTION COMBINED ELEMENTS OF IYENGAR YOGA AND MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION. PARTICIPANTS: SIXTEEN HEALTHY PREGNANT NULLIPAROUS WOMEN WITH SINGLETON PREGNANCIES BETWEEN 12 AND 32 WEEKS GESTATION AT THE TIME OF ENROLLMENT. METHODS: OUTCOMES WERE EVALUATED FROM PRE- TO POSTINTERVENTION AND BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD TRIMESTERS WITH REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE AND POST HOC NONPARAMETRIC TESTS. RESULTS: WOMEN PRACTICING MINDFUL YOGA IN THEIR SECOND TRIMESTER REPORTED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN PHYSICAL PAIN FROM BASELINE TO POSTINTERVENTION COMPARED WITH WOMEN IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER WHOSE PAIN INCREASED. WOMEN IN THEIR THIRD TRIMESTER SHOWED GREATER REDUCTIONS IN PERCEIVED STRESS AND TRAIT ANXIETY. CONCLUSIONS: PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUPPORTS YOGA'S POTENTIAL EFFICACY IN THESE AREAS, PARTICULARLY IF STARTED EARLY IN THE PREGNANCY. 2009 3 998 33 EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP OF PREGNANT WOMEN. PURPOSE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN NORMAL PREGNANT WOMEN. METHODS: ONE HUNDRED AND TWO PREGNANT WOMEN BETWEEN 18 AND 20 WEEKS OF GESTATION WHO MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RECRUITED FROM THE OBSTETRIC UNITS IN BANGALORE AND WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF YOGA (N = 51) AND CONTROL (N = 51). WOMEN WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS AND THOSE WITH ABNORMAL FETAL PARAMETERS WERE EXCLUDED. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED INTEGRATED YOGA WHILE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD ANTENATAL EXERCISES, BOTH FOR 1-H THREE TIMES A WEEK FROM 20TH TO 36TH WEEK OF GESTATION. PRE AND POST ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE USING WHOQOL-100 AND FIRO-B QUESTIONNAIRES. RESULTS: OF THE SIX DOMAINS OF WHOQOL-100, BETWEEN GROUPS ANALYSIS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL IN THE PHYSICAL (P = 0.001), PSYCHOLOGICAL (P < 0.001), SOCIAL (P = 0.003), AND ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAINS (P = 0.001). IN FIRO-B, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN 'EXPRESSED INCLUSION' (P = 0.02) AND 'WANTED CONTROL' (P = 0.009) DOMAINS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE INTEGRATED YOGA IS AN EFFICACIOUS MEANS OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND ENHANCING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THEIR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. 2010 4 1022 39 EFFECTS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION ON THE BIRTH PROCESS. CONTEXT: DURING LABOR, CONSCIOUS MATERNAL EXPULSIVE EFFORTS ARE CRUCIAL, ESPECIALLY IN THE SECOND STAGE. CONTEMPORARILY, MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL'S BEDSIDE OBSERVATIONS INDICATE AN INADEQUACY IN THE MATERNAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROCESS OF DELIVERY THAT HAS LED TO INCREASED RATES OF CAESAREAN SECTIONS AND INTERVENTIONAL DELIVERIES. FOR THAT REASON, THE IMPORTANCE OF YOGA, MEDITATION, AND BREATH-AWARENESS PRACTICES INCREASES DURING PREGNANCY AND BIRTH. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT ON THE DELIVERY PROCESS OF THE PRACTICE OF YOGA AND MEDITATION DURING PREGNANCY AND LABOR. DESIGN: THE RESEARCH TEAM DESIGNED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: THE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN OCTOBER 2016 AND MAY 2018 AT AN EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH HOSPITAL IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY, ON THE ANATOLIAN SIDE OF THE ISTANBUL PROVINCE. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 90 PRIMIPAROUS PREGNANT WOMEN WHO APPLIED TO THE PREGNANCY SCHOOL AT THE HOSPITAL AND WHO MET THE CRITERIA FOR ACCEPTANCE INTO THE STUDY. INTERVENTION: THE PARTICIPANTS WAS RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS, 30 IN AN INTERVENTION GROUP AND 60 IN A CONTROL GROUP. THE INTERVENTION GROUP PERFORMED YOGA AND MEDITATION FOR 60 MINUTES TWO TIMES A WEEK FOR 10 WEEKS. YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICES ALSO OCCURRED DURING THE COURSE OF LABOR FOR THE INTERVENTION GROUP. ROUTINE MIDWIFERY CARE WAS GIVEN TO BOTH GROUPS DURING LABOR. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE DATA WERE COLLECTED USING: (1) THE STATE TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY (STAI), (2) THE WIJMA DELIVERY EXPECTANCY/EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE A, (3) THE CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY SCALE (CBSEI) SHORT FORM, (4) THE WIJMA DELIVERY EXPECTANCY/EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE VERSION B, AND (5) A VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) FOR PAIN. RESULTS: WHEN THE LABOR DATA WERE EVALUATED, THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY HIGHER VAGINAL DELIVERY RATES, LOWER LABOR INTERVENTION RATES AND EPISIOTOMY OPENING FREQUENCIES, LOWER PAIN MEASUREMENT SCORES AND WIJMA B SCORES, AND HIGHER CBSEI SCORES THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. HOWEVER, THE INTERVENTION GROUP'S STAI SCORES HAD INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER THE PRACTICE POST INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA AND MEDITATION ARE EFFECTIVE METHODS FOR REDUCING PAIN AND FEAR PERCEPTION AND INCREASING SELF-EFFICACY AND VAGINAL DELIVERY RATES DURING THE LABOR PROCESS. 2022 5 2525 35 YOGA DURING PREGNANCY: THE EFFECTS ON LABOR PAIN AND DELIVERY OUTCOMES (A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL). OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF AN ANTENATAL YOGA PROGRAM ON PERCEIVED MATERNAL LABOR PAIN AND DELIVERY OUTCOMES. MATERIAL & METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED WITH SIXTY PRIMIPAROUS WOMEN, AGED 18-35 YEARS OLD, WHO WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER AN ANTENATAL YOGA PROGRAM OR CONTROL GROUPS. LABOR PAIN AND DISCOMFORT LEVEL OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE MEASURED USING A VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE AT CERVICAL DILATATION OF 3-4 C AND AT 2 AND 4 H AFTER THE INITIAL MEASUREMENT. DEMOGRAPHIC AND OBSTETRICAL INFORMATION WERE COLLECTED. THE ANTENATAL YOGA PROGRAM CONSISTED OF A 1-H SUPERVISED YOGA CLASS, THREE TIMES A WEEKLY, STARTING AT 26 WEEKS GESTATION. . RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS IN CONTROL GROUP REPORTED HIGHER PAIN INTENSITY COMPARED TO EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AT 3-4 CM OF DILATATION (P = 0.01) AND AT 2 H AFTER THE FIRST AND THE SECOND MEASUREMENTS (P = 0.000). MOTHERS IN THE ANTENATAL INTERVENTION GROUP THAT COMPLETED THE YOGA CLASS REQUIRED A DECREASED FREQUENCY OF LABOR INDUCTION IN COMPARISON WITH CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.008). IN ADDITION, MODE OF DELIVERY OF THE INTERVENTION GROUP RESULTED IN A LOWER PERCENTAGE OF CESAREAN SECTION THAN CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.002). LASTLY, THE INTERVENTION GROUP EXPERIENCED A SHORTER DURATION OF THE SECOND AND THIRD STAGES OF LABOR. INTERVAL LEVEL DATA WAS ANALYZED BY USING AN INDEPENDENT T-TEST AND CHI-SQUARE. CONCLUSION: YOGA DURING PREGNANCY MAY CONTRIBUTE TO A REDUCTION PAIN OF LABOR AND IMPROVED ADEQUACY OF CHILDBIRTH. 2017 6 2088 31 THE EFFECT OF PRACTICING YOGA DURING PREGNANCY ON LABOR STAGES LENGTH, ANXIETY AND PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: ANXIETY AND FEAR OF LABOR PAIN HAS LED TO ELEVATED CESAREAN SECTION RATE IN SOME COUNTRIES. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN PREGNANCY ON ANXIETY, LABOR PAIN AND LENGTH OF LABOR STAGES. METHODS: THIS CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY WAS PERFORMED ON 84 NULLIPAROUS WOMEN WHO WERE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD AND WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS OF YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. PREGNANCY YOGA PROGRAM CONSISTING OF 6 60-MIN TRAINING SESSIONS WAS STARTED EVERY 2 WEEKS FROM WEEK 26 OF PREGNANCY AND CONTINUED UNTIL 37 WEEKS OF GESTATION. ANXIETY SEVERITY AT MATERNAL ADMISSION TO LABOR WAS MEASURED BY THE SPIELBERGERS STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY, AND LABOR PAIN WAS MEASURED BY VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) AT DILATATION (4-5 CM) AND 2 H AFTER THE FIRST MEASUREMENT. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARE AND T-TEST. RESULTS: INTERVENTION GROUP REPORTED LESS PAIN AT DILATATION (4-5 CM) (P=0.001) AND 2 H AFTER THE FIRST MEASUREMENT (P=0.001) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. STAT ANXIETY WAS ALSO LOWER IN INTERVENTION GROUP THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (P=0.003) AT THE ENTRANCE TO LABOR ROOM. SUBJECTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP REQUIRED MORE INDUCTION COMPARED TO INTERVENTION GROUP (P=0.003). WOMEN IN INTERVENTION GROUP EXPERIENCED SHORTER DURATION OF THE FIRST PHASE OF THE LABOR THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (P=0.002). ALSO, THE TOTAL DURATION OF TWO STAGES OF LABOR WAS SHORTER IN INTERVENTION GROUP THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: PRACTICING YOGA DURING PREGNANCY MAY REDUCE WOMEN'S ANXIETY DURING LABOR; SHORTEN LABOR STAGES, AND LOWER LABOR PAIN. 2020 7 2111 40 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS LEVEL IN INFERTILE WOMEN. PURPOSE: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF PLANNED YOGA PRACTICES ON STRESS LEVELS IN INFERTILE WOMEN. DESIGN AND METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY INCLUDED 128 VOLUNTEER WOMEN WHO WERE REGISTERED AT A PRIVATE IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF) CLINIC AND RECEIVED INFERTILITY TREATMENT. THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP TOOK PART IN THE YOGA PROGRAM TWICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. A PERSONAL INFORMATION FORM AND THE COPENHAGEN MULTI-CENTER PSYCHOSOCIAL INFERTILITY (COMPI) FERTILITY PROBLEM STRESS SCALE WERE USED TO COLLECT DATA. FINDINGS: THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MEAN SCORES OF THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS ON THE COMPI FERTILITY PROBLEM STRESS SCALE AT PRE- AND POSTTESTS WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: BECAUSE YOGA PRACTICES MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STRESS IN INFERTILE WOMEN, THESE APPLICATIONS CAN BE PERFORMED BEFORE TREATMENT. IT MAY REDUCE PATIENTS' STRESS AND INCREASE THE SUCCESS OF THE TREATMENT. THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA COULD REDUCE STRESS LEVELS IN INFERTILE WOMEN. 2019 8 2231 30 THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH AND CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY AMONG THIRD TRIMESTER PREGNANTS. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH AND CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS PERFORMED IN A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL MODEL WITH PRETEST AND POST-TEST CONTROL GROUPS. THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE STUDY WERE WOMEN WHO APPLIED TO A PREGNANCY EDUCATION CLASS AT A HOSPITAL. NINETY WOMEN PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. THE DATA USED IN THE STUDY WERE COLLECTED USING THE INDIVIDUAL INFORMATION FORM, THE WIJMA DELIVERY EXPECTATION/EXPERIENCE SCALE (VERSION A), AND THE CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY SCALE. RESULTS: AFTER PARTICIPATING IN YOGA PRACTICE, THE PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP EXHIBITED DECREASED FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH AND INCREASED CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY (P < .05). ON THE OTHER HAND, THE PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP DISPLAYED INCREASED FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH AND DECREASED CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY (P < .05). CONCLUSION: BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY, YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH AND SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY. 2021 9 2089 23 THE EFFECT OF PRENATAL HATHA YOGA ON AFFECT, CORTISOL AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. PERINATAL DEPRESSION IMPACTS MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH, AND LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS. THE EFFECTS OF PRENATAL HATHA YOGA ON CORTISOL, AFFECT AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS WERE INVESTIGATED IN 51 WOMEN. TWICE DURING PREGNANCY, YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS REPORTED ON AFFECT AND PROVIDED A SALIVA SAMPLE BEFORE AND AFTER A 90-MIN PRENATAL HATHA YOGA SESSION. CORRESPONDING MEASURES WERE OBTAINED FROM YOGA AND CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS ON DAYS OF USUAL ACTIVITY. DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS WERE ASSESSED IN PREGNANCY AND POST PARTUM. CORTISOL WAS LOWER (P < .01) AND POSITIVE AFFECT HIGHER (P < .001) ON YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL ACTIVITY DAYS. NEGATIVE AFFECT AND CONTENTMENT (P < .05) IMPROVED MORE IN RESPONSE TO THE YOGA SESSION. YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS SHOWED FEWER POSTPARTUM (P < .05) BUT NOT ANTEPARTUM DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS THAN CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS. FINDINGS INDICATE THAT PRENATAL HATHA YOGA MAY IMPROVE CURRENT MOOD AND MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING POSTPARTUM DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. 2014 10 961 32 EFFECTS OF A YOGA NIDRA ON THE LIFE STRESS AND SELF-ESTEEM IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA NIDRA ON LIFE STRESS AND SELF-ESTEEM IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A NON-EQUIVALENT CONTROL GROUP PRETEST-POSTTEST DESIGN. FORTY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE SELECTED BY CONVENIENCE SAMPLING, WITH 20 ASSIGNED TO A YOGA NIDRA GROUP AND 20 TO A CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN BI-WEEKLY, 1-H SESSIONS OF YOGA NIDRA FOR 8 WEEKS. LIFE STRESS INTENSITY LEVEL WAS MEASURED USING A 10CM VISUAL ANALOG SCALE. SELF-ESTEEM SCORE WAS MEASURED BY ROSENBERG'S SELF-ESTEEM SCALE. RESULTS: THE YOGA NIDRA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED LIFE STRESS INTENSITY LEVELS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED SELF-ESTEEM SCORES COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA NIDRA COULD ALLEVIATE THE LIFE STRESS INTENSITY LEVEL AND INCREASE THE SELF-ESTEEM IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. 2019 11 1471 31 INPATIENT PRENATAL YOGA SESSIONS FOR WOMEN WITH HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES: A FEASIBILITY STUDY. BACKGROUND: ANTENATAL HOSPITALIZATION FOR PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS CAN RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT STRESS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES. PRENATAL YOGA HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED IN THE OUTPATIENT SETTING AS A METHOD TO ALLEVIATE STRESS. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF INCORPORATING PRENATAL YOGA INTO THE INPATIENT ENVIRONMENT FOR WOMEN HOSPITALIZED WITH PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS. STUDY DESIGN: HIGH-RISK WOMEN WERE RECRUITED FROM THE INPATIENT ANTEPARTUM SERVICE AT TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER (BOSTON, MA; MARCH 2016 TO FEBRUARY 2017) TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF AN INPATIENT PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAM. THE THIRTY-MINUTE SESSION WAS LED BY A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR IN A ROOM ADJACENT TO LABOR AND DELIVERY. PARTICIPANTS AND ANTEPARTUM NURSES COMPLETED STUDY QUESTIONNAIRES ADDRESSING LOGISTICS SUCH AS CLASS DURATION AND FREQUENCY. PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF YOGA WERE ALSO EXPLORED. RESULTS: THIRTY-NINE WOMEN WERE FOUND ELIGIBLE FOR THIS STUDY AND WERE CONSENTED FOR PARTICIPATION. OF THESE, FIFTEEN (38%) PARTICIPATED IN AT LEAST ONE YOGA SESSION. RESPONSES TO THE TO THE POST-CLASS QUESTIONNAIRE BY STUDY PARTICIPANTS INDICATED THAT THE THIRTY MINUTES ALLOCATED FOR THE YOGA CLASS WAS APPROPRIATE. OF THE EIGHT PARTICIPANTS WHO RESPONDED TO THE DISCHARGE QUESTIONNAIRE, ALL INDICATED THAT THE CLASS WAS HELPFUL WITH REGARDS TO STRESS REDUCTION. COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES BY THE ANTEPARTUM NURSING STAFF (N = 14) UNANIMOUSLY INDICATED THAT THE YOGA SESSION WAS HELPFUL FOR THE PATIENTS AND WAS NOT DISRUPTIVE TO MEDICAL CARE. CONCLUSION(S): PRENATAL YOGA IS A TECHNIQUE THAT HAS BEEN CURRENTLY LIMITED TO THE OUTPATIENT SETTING. THIS STUDY PROVIDES A FOUNDATION FOR CONTINUED INVESTIGATION OF INPATIENT PRENATAL YOGA FOR WOMEN HOSPITALIZED WITH PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS. 2020 12 106 20 A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING PRENATAL YOGA TO PERINATAL HEALTH EDUCATION FOR ANTENATAL DEPRESSION. WE CONDUCTED A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) COMPARING A PRENATAL YOGA INTERVENTION TO PERINATAL-FOCUSED HEALTH EDUCATION IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH DEPRESSION. FINDINGS DOCUMENT ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION: NO YOGA-RELATED INJURIES WERE OBSERVED, INSTRUCTORS SHOWED FIDELITY TO THE YOGA MANUAL, AND WOMEN RATED INTERVENTIONS AS ACCEPTABLE. ALTHOUGH IMPROVEMENTS IN DEPRESSION WERE NOT STATISTICALLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN GROUPS, THEY FAVORED YOGA. THIS STUDY PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR A LARGER SCALE RCT EXAMINING PRENATAL YOGA TO IMPROVE MOOD DURING PREGNANCY. 2016 13 1056 36 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OF WOMEN. UNLABELLED: YOGA HAS OFTEN BEEN PERCEIVED AS A METHOD OF STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL THAT CAN ASSIST IN ALLEVIATING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO EVALUATE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA IN RELIEVING SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN WOMEN WHO WERE REFERRED TO A YOGA CLINIC. METHODS: THE STUDY INVOLVED A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF WOMEN WHO WERE REFERRED TO A YOGA CLINIC FROM JULY 2006 TO JULY 2007. ALL NEW CASES WERE EVALUATED ON ADMISSION USING A PERSONAL INFORMATION QUESTIONNAIRE WELL AS BECK AND SPIELBERGER TESTS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO AN EXPERIMENTAL AND A CONTROL GROUP. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N=34) PARTICIPATED IN TWICE WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES OF 90 MIN DURATION FOR TWO MONTHS. THE CONTROL GROUP (N=31) WAS ASSIGNED TO A WAITING LIST AND DID NOT RECEIVE YOGA. BOTH GROUPS WERE EVALUATED AGAIN AFTER THE TWO-MONTH STUDY PERIOD. RESULTS: THE AVERAGE PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRE AND POST YOGA INTERVENTION WAS 12.82+/-7.9 AND 10.79+/-6.04 RESPECTIVELY, A STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT DECREASE (P=0.13). HOWEVER, WHEN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN YOGA CLASSES SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN STATE ANXIETY (P=0.03) AND TRAIT ANXIETY (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATION IN A TWO-MONTH YOGA CLASS CAN LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PERCEIVED LEVELS OF ANXIETY IN WOMEN WHO SUFFER FROM ANXIETY DISORDERS. THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT YOGA CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY OR AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR MEDICAL THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY DISORDERS. 2009 14 141 30 A PROSPECTIVE STUDY USING HATHA YOGA FOR STRESS REDUCTION AMONG WOMEN WAITING FOR IVF TREATMENT. YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE IN TREATING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, REDUCING STRESS AND IMPROVING THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. MINIMAL RESEARCH IS AVAILABLE ON THE EFFECT OF STRESS-MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES WITH IVF PATIENTS. OWING TO THE DIVERSITY OF CONDITIONS TREATED, THE POOR QUALITY OF MOST STUDIES, AND THE DIFFERENT ASSESSMENT TOOLS USED TO EVALUATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE, IT IS DIFFICULT TO DRAW DEFINITE CONCLUSIONS. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE USED DIFFERENT MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS AND GENERAL MEASURES OF STRESS WITHOUT EVALUATION OF SPECIFIC STRESSES KNOWN TO RESULT FROM INFERTILITY AND ITS TREATMENT USING STANDARDIZED MEASURES. IN THIS SINGLE-CENTRE STUDY, 49 INFERTILE WOMEN WERE RECRUITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A 6-WEEK YOGA CLASS DURING 2013 WHILE AWAITING THEIR IVF TREATMENT. STUDY PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES ASSESSING FERTILITY-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (FERTIQOL), MARITAL HARMONY (DYADIC ADJUSTMENT SCALE [DAS]), STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY (STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY [STAI]) AND DEPRESSION (BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY [BDI]) BEFORE COMMENCING AND AFTER COMPLETING THE YOGA WORKSHOPS. ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND FERTILITY-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE SHOWED IMPROVEMENT OVER TIME IN ASSOCIATION WITH PARTICIPATION IN A 6-WEEK YOGA PROGRAMME IN WOMEN AWAITING THEIR TREATMENT WITH IVF. 2015 15 159 26 A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF YOGA AND RELAXATION TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE YOGA AND RELAXATION AS TREATMENT MODALITIES AT 10 AND 16 WEEKS FROM STUDY BASELINE TO DETERMINE IF EITHER OF MODALITY REDUCES SUBJECT STRESS, ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA WITH RELAXATION. PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE SUBJECTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE LEVELS OF STRESS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE COMMUNITY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. INTERVENTIONS: TEN WEEKLY 1- H SESSIONS OF RELAXATION OR HATHA YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGES IN THE STATE TRAIT PERSONALITY INVENTORY SUB-SCALE ANXIETY, GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE SHORT FORM-36. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE 10 WEEK INTERVENTION STRESS, ANXIETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IMPROVED OVER TIME. YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS RELAXATION IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY AND IMPROVING HEALTH STATUS ON SEVEN DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN RELAXATION IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH. AT THE END OF THE 6 WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS IN LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY AND ON FIVE DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SCORES ON THE SF-36 WERE HIGHER IN THE RELAXATION GROUP DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO PROVIDE A COMPARABLE IMPROVEMENT IN STRESS, ANXIETY AND HEALTH STATUS COMPARED TO RELAXATION. 2007 16 1206 32 EXPERIENCES OF PREGNANT WOMEN PARTICIPATING IN ANTENATAL YOGA: A QUALITATIVE STUDY. CONTEXT: PREGNANCY YOGA IS A MODIFIED VERSION OF YOGA FOR PREGNANT WOMEN, AND IT AIMS TO REDUCE PREGNANCY-RELATED SYMPTOMS, SUCH AS INSOMNIA, LOW BACK PAIN, TIREDNESS, CONSTIPATION, LEG CRAMPS, AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY AIMED TO IDENTIFY THE EXPERIENCES AND EXPECTATIONS OF PREGNANT WOMEN RELATED TO THE PRACTICE OF YOGA. METHOD: THE RESEARCH TEAM CONDUCTED A QUALITATIVE STUDY. SETTING: THE STUDY TOOK PLACE AT THE ANTENATAL CLINIC OF A PUBLIC HOSPITAL IN THE CENTRAL ANATOLIA REGION OF TURKEY. PARTICIPANTS: THE PARTICIPANTS WERE 24 PREGNANT WOMEN AT THE CLINIC. INTERVENTION: THE STUDY INCLUDED AN INTERVENTION GROUP THAT PERFORMED YOGA AND RECEIVED ROUTINE ANTENATAL CARE; HOWEVER, NO CONTROL GROUPS WERE USED. EACH YOGA INTERVENTION WAS HELD FOR APPROXIMATELY 40-45 MINUTES, WITH YOGA ASANA PERIODS LASTING 30 MINUTES. THE PREGNANT WOMEN WERE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN YOGA PRACTICE TWICE A WEEK ON A REGULAR BASIS FOR 8 WEEKS. OUTCOME MEASURES: DATA WERE COLLECTED THROUGH SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS. THE INTERVIEWS WERE RECORDED AND TRANSCRIBED VERBATIM AND THEMATIC ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED. RESULTS: FOUR MAJOR THEMES EMERGED: (1) PERCEPTIONS ABOUT PREGNANCY, (2) MANAGEMENT OF PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS, (3) PRENATAL ATTACHMENT, AND (4) BIRTH PERCEPTIONS. ACCORDING TO PARTICIPANTS, THE BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE WERE MANAGEMENT OF PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS, INCREASED PRENATAL ATTACHMENT, A POSITIVE PERCEPTION OF THE BIRTH, NATURAL-BIRTH BELIEFS, AND MANAGEMENT OF FEAR AND PAIN DURING BIRTH. CONCLUSIONS: THE PARTICIPANTS REPORTED BARRIERS TO PERFORMING YOGA; HOWEVER, THEY ALSO SAID THAT THEY WOULD TRY PREGNANCY YOGA IF THEY WERE ENCOURAGED BY HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS. ALSO, THE PARTICIPANTS STATED THAT PREGNANCY YOGA PRACTICE SHOULD BE MADE A PART OF ANTENATAL EDUCATION TO FACILITATE PARTICIPATION. 2021 17 1015 32 EFFECTS OF PRENATAL YOGA ON WOMEN'S STRESS AND IMMUNE FUNCTION ACROSS PREGNANCY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE EFFECTS OF PRENATAL YOGA ON BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS HAVE NOT BEEN WIDELY STUDIED. THUS, WE COMPARED CHANGES IN STRESS AND IMMUNITY SALIVARY BIOMARKERS FROM 16 TO 36 WEEKS' GESTATION BETWEEN WOMEN RECEIVING PRENATAL YOGA AND THOSE RECEIVING ROUTINE PRENATAL CARE. DESIGN: FOR THIS LONGITUDINAL, PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, WE RECRUITED 94 HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN AT 16 WEEKS' GESTATION THROUGH CONVENIENCE SAMPLING FROM A PRENATAL CLINIC IN TAIPEI. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO INTERVENTION (N=48) OR CONTROL (N=46) GROUPS USING CLINSTAT BLOCK RANDOMIZATION. INTERVENTION: THE 20-WEEK INTERVENTION COMPRISED TWO WEEKLY 70-MIN YOGA SESSIONS LED BY A MIDWIFE CERTIFIED AS A YOGA INSTRUCTOR; THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED ONLY ROUTINE PRENATAL CARE. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: IN BOTH GROUPS, PARTICIPANTS' SALIVARY CORTISOL AND IMMUNOGLOBULIN A LEVELS WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA EVERY 4 WEEKS FROM 16 TO 36 WEEKS' GESTATION. RESULTS: THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD LOWER SALIVARY CORTISOL (P<0.001) AND HIGHER IMMUNOGLOBULIN A (P<0.001) LEVELS IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOGA THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. SPECIFICALLY, THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LONG-TERM SALIVARY IMMUNOGLOBULIN A LEVELS THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (P=0.018), AND INFANTS BORN TO WOMEN IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP WEIGHED MORE THAN THOSE BORN TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: PRENATAL YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED PREGNANT WOMEN'S STRESS AND ENHANCED THEIR IMMUNE FUNCTION. CLINICIANS SHOULD LEARN THE MECHANISMS OF YOGA AND ITS EFFECTS ON PREGNANT WOMEN. OUR FINDINGS CAN GUIDE CLINICIANS TO HELP PREGNANT WOMEN ALLEVIATE THEIR STRESS AND ENHANCE THEIR IMMUNE FUNCTION. 2017 18 183 25 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ON THE EFFICACY OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON PREGNANCY OUTCOME. PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES OCCUR IN PREGNANCY TO NURTURE THE DEVELOPING FETUS. PREGNANCY-RELATED EXPERIENCE IS UNIQUE TO EVERY WOMAN. PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS AND COMPLICATIONS CAN RANGE FROM MILD TO SEVERE. MANY WOMEN CAN LOWER THEIR RISK BY PERFORMING DIFFERENT THERAPIES. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE PRESENT STUDY TARGETS TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF INTEGRATED YOGA CONSISTING OF (ASANAS AND PRANAYAMA) ON PREGNANCY TO REDUCE THE RISK OF COMPLICATIONS. THIS STUDY IS A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED SINGLE-BLINDED TRIAL WITH PARALLEL ARMS: THE INTERVENTION ARM RECEIVED SPECIFIC INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY; THE CONTROL ARM RECEIVED ROUTINE STANDARD CARE FROM 18 TO 22 WEEKS OF GESTATION UNTIL DELIVERY. THE INCIDENCE OF PREECLAMPSIA AND PRETERM DELIVERY WAS LOWER IN THE INTERVENTION ARM. WOMEN IN THE INTERVENTION ARM DELIVERED AT HIGHER GESTATIONAL AGE. APGAR SCORES AND BIRTH WEIGHTS OF NEONATES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE INTERVENTION ARM. THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA IS A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION DURING PREGNANCY TO REDUCE OR PREVENT PREGNANCY-RELATED COMPLICATIONS. HOWEVER, FURTHER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO PROVIDE FIRMER EVIDENCE REGARDING THE UTILITY AND VALIDITY OF YOGA INTERVENTION DURING PREGNANCY. 2021 19 1769 27 POTENTIAL FOR PRENATAL YOGA TO SERVE AS AN INTERVENTION TO TREAT DEPRESSION DURING PREGNANCY. BACKGROUND: WHEN LEFT UNTREATED, ANTENATAL DEPRESSION CAN HAVE A SERIOUS NEGATIVE IMPACT ON MATERNAL, AND INFANT OUTCOMES. MANY AFFECTED WOMEN DO NOT OBTAIN TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION OWING TO DIFFICULTIES ACCESSING CARE OR BECAUSE THEY DO NOT FIND STANDARD ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENTS TO BE ACCEPTABLE DURING PREGNANCY. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF A GENTLE PRENATAL YOGA INTERVENTION, AS A STRATEGY FOR TREATING DEPRESSION DURING PREGNANCY. METHODS: WE DEVELOPED A 10-WEEK PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAM FOR ANTENATAL DEPRESSION AND AN ACCOMPANYING YOGA INSTRUCTORS' MANUAL, AND ENROLLED 34 DEPRESSED PREGNANT WOMEN FROM THE COMMUNITY INTO AN OPEN PILOT TRIAL. WE MEASURED CHANGE IN MATERNAL DEPRESSION SEVERITY FROM BEFORE TO AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT THE PRENATAL YOGA INTERVENTION WAS FEASIBLE TO ADMINISTER AND ACCEPTABLE TO THE WOMEN ENROLLED. NO STUDY-RELATED INJURIES OR OTHER SAFETY ISSUES WERE OBSERVED DURING THE TRIAL. ON AVERAGE, PARTICIPANTS' DEPRESSION SEVERITY DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BY THE END OF THE INTERVENTION BASED ON BOTH OBSERVED-RATED AND SELF-REPORT DEPRESSION ASSESSMENT MEASURES. CONCLUSION: THE CURRENT STUDY SUGGESTS THAT PRENATAL YOGA MAY BE A VIABLE APPROACH TO ADDRESSING ANTENATAL DEPRESSION, ONE THAT MAY HAVE ADVANTAGES IN TERMS OF GREATER ACCEPTABILITY THAN STANDARD DEPRESSION TREATMENTS. RESEARCH AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED. 2015 20 723 30 EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON MENTAL SYMPTOMS AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARE FACED WITH SEVERAL STRESS FACTORS AFFECTING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. THEREFORE, THE FIRST YEAR AT UNIVERSITY IS A PERIOD THAT CALLS FOR CAREFUL ATTENTION AND RESEARCH. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON MENTAL SYMPTOMS AND CORTISOL LEVELS IN NURSING STUDENTS. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY EMPLOYING A PRE-/POST-TEST DESIGN WITH A CONTROL GROUP. A TOTAL OF 75 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE ASSIGNED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE BRIEF SYMPTOM INVENTORY WAS APPLIED TO BOTH GROUPS BEFORE SESSION 1 AND AFTER SESSION 8. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE TAKEN FROM THE STUDENTS TO MEASURE THEIR CORTISOL LEVELS BEFORE AND AFTER EACH SESSION. RESULTS: EVALUATION OF THE MEAN SCORES OBTAINED FROM THE BRIEF SYMPTOM INVENTORY BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE SCORES BETWEEN GROUPS (P < 0.05). IN THREE OUT OF THE EIGHT SESSIONS, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP REGARDING THE MEAN VALUES OF PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: LAUGHTER YOGA CAN PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE MEANS TO HELP FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS COPE WITH STRESS AND REDUCE MENTAL SYMPTOMS. 2021