1 1092 124 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON UTERO-FETAL-PLACENTAL CIRCULATION IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. 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. 2015 2 2671 28 YOGA IN PREGNANCY: AN EXAMINATION OF MATERNAL AND FETAL RESPONSES TO 26 YOGA POSTURES. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE ACUTE MATERNAL AND FETAL EFFECTS OF YOGA POSTURES AND SUSPECTED CONTRAINDICATED POSTURES IN A PROSPECTIVE COHORT OF HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER. METHODS: THIS WAS A PROSPECTIVE STUDY THAT EVALUATED PREGNANT WOMEN BETWEEN 35 0/7 AND 37 6/7 WEEKS OF GESTATION IN A ONE-ON-ONE YOGA SESSION. A BASELINE NONSTRESS TEST, VITAL SIGNS, AND PULSE OXIMETRY WERE PERFORMED. PARTICIPANTS THEN ASSUMED 26 YOGA POSTURES. VITAL SIGNS, PULSE OXIMETRY, TOCOMETRY, AND CONTINUOUS FETAL HEART RATE MONITORING WERE OBTAINED IN EACH POSTURE. POSTSESSION NONSTRESS TEST, VITAL SIGNS, AND PULSE OXIMETRY WERE OBTAINED. PARTICIPANTS WERE CONTACTED 24 HOURS POSTSESSION. RESULTS: TWENTY-FIVE HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN WERE EVALUATED. TEN REPORTED REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE, EIGHT WERE FAMILIAR WITH YOGA, AND SEVEN HAD NO YOGA EXPERIENCE. YOGA GROUPS WERE SIMILAR IN AGE, RACE, BODY MASS INDEX, GESTATIONAL AGE, AND PARITY. PRESESSION AND POSTSESSION NONSTRESS TESTS WERE REACTIVE. PRESESSION AND POSTSESSION DATA SHOWED NO CHANGE IN MATERNAL HEART RATE, TEMPERATURE, PULSE OXIMETRY, OR FETAL HEART RATE. DURING THE 26 YOGA POSTURES, VITAL SIGNS, PULSE OXIMETRY, AND UTERINE TOCOMETRY REMAINED NORMAL IN ALL WOMEN AND IN ALL POSTURES. THE FETAL HEART RATE ACROSS ALL 26 POSTURES WAS NORMAL. THERE WERE NO FALLS OR INJURIES DURING THE TOTAL CUMULATIVE 650 POSES. NO PARTICIPANTS REPORTED DECREASED FETAL MOVEMENT, CONTRACTIONS, LEAKAGE OF FLUID, OR VAGINAL BLEEDING IN THE 24-HOUR FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSION: ALL 26 YOGA POSTURES WERE WELL-TOLERATED WITH NO ACUTE ADVERSE MATERNAL PHYSIOLOGIC OR FETAL HEART RATE CHANGES. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III. 2015 3 2169 55 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PREVENTION OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: WHILE PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA IN NORMAL PREGNANCIES, THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PREVENTION OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES FOR THE FIRST TIME. METHODS: 68 HIGH-RISK PREGNANT WOMEN WERE RECRUITED FROM TWO MATERNITY HOSPITALS IN BENGALURU, INDIA AND WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP (N=30) RECEIVED STANDARD CARE PLUS ONE-HOUR YOGA SESSIONS, THREE TIMES A WEEK, FROM THE 12TH TO THE 28TH WEEK OF GESTATION. THE CONTROL GROUP (N=38) RECEIVED STANDARD CARE PLUS CONVENTIONAL ANTENATAL EXERCISES (WALKING) DURING THE SAME PERIOD. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER PREGNANCY INDUCED HYPERTENSION (PIH), PREECLAMPSIA, GESTATIONAL DIABETES (GDM) AND INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RESTRICTION (IUGR) CASES WERE OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P=0.018, 0.042, 0.049, 0.05 RESPECTIVELY). SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER SMALL FOR GESTATIONAL AGE (SGA) BABIES AND NEWBORNS WITH LOW APGAR SCORES (P=0.006) WERE BORN IN THE YOGA GROUP (P=0.033). CONCLUSION: THIS FIRST RANDOMIZED STUDY OF YOGA IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY HAS SHOWN THAT YOGA CAN POTENTIALLY BE AN EFFECTIVE THERAPY IN REDUCING HYPERTENSIVE RELATED COMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCY AND IMPROVING FETAL OUTCOMES. ADDITIONAL DATA IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS AND BETTER EXPLAIN THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF YOGA IN THIS IMPORTANT AREA. 2012 4 2116 40 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLER INDICES, MATERNAL AND FETAL COMPLICATIONS IN PREGNANT WOMEN: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. BACKGROUND: TODAY, THE EFFECT OF YOGA HAS BEEN EXAMINED ON VARIOUS PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF PREGNANT WOMEN. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL SPARSE STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE UTERINE ARTERY INDICES AS WELL AS MATERNAL AND FETAL COMPLICATIONS. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLER INDICES, MATERNAL AND FETAL COMPLICATIONS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS QUASI-EXPERIENTIAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED, ON 100 PREGNANT WOMEN. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, THE PARTICIPANTS EXERCISED YOGA FOR 1 H. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED ROUTINE CARE. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT IN THE YOGA GROUP, THE FUNCTIONAL INDICES OF THE UTERINE ARTERY (S/D, PI, RI, AND DN) IMPROVED MORE SIGNIFICANTLY COMPARED TO THE CONTROL (P = 0.01). THE RESULTS ALSO SHOWED THAT IN THE YOGA GROUP, MATERNAL COMPLICATIONS (DIABETES AND PREECLAMPSIA), AS WELL AS FETAL COMPLICATIONS (SAG, IUGR), WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER COMPARED TO THE CONTROL (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY REVEALED THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON IMPROVING FETAL DEVELOPMENT INDICES AND REDUCING MATERNAL AND FETAL COMPLICATIONS FOLLOWING PREGNANCY. IT CAN BE USED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY ALONGSIDE OTHER TREATMENTS FOR MOTHERS. 2021 5 1134 33 EFFICACY OF YOGA IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH ABNORMAL DOPPLER STUDY OF UMBILICAL AND UTERINE ARTERIES. TO STUDY THE EFFICACY OF YOGA ON THE OUTCOME OF COMPLICATED PREGNANCY, 121 WOMEN ATTENDING ANTENATAL CLINIC AT GUNASHEELA SURGICAL AND MATERNITY HOSPITAL (GSMH) IN BANGALORE, INDIA, WERE ENROLLED BETWEEN 18-20 WEEKS OF PREGNANCY IN A PROSPECTIVE, MATCHED, OBSERVATIONAL STUDY. SIXTY-EIGHT WOMEN WERE IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 53 WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. WOMEN WERE MATCHED FOR AGE, GRAVIDA AND DOPPLER VELOCIMETRY SCORES OF UMBILICAL AND UTERINE ARTERIES. YOGA PRACTICES INCLUDING PHYSICAL POSTURES, BREATHING AND MEDITATION WERE PRACTISED BY THE YOGA GROUP, ONE HOUR DAILY, FROM THE DATE OF ENTRY INTO THE STUDY UNTIL DELIVERY. THE CONTROL GROUP WALKED HALF AN HOUR TWICE A DAY DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. COMPLIANCE IN BOTH THE GROUPS WAS ENSURED. IN BABIES THE BIRTH-WEIGHT IS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER (P < 0.018) IN THE YOGA GROUP (2.78 +/- 0.52 KG), COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (2.55 +/- 0.52 KG). OCCURRENCE OF COMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCY (PREGNANCY-INDUCED HYPERTENSION, INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RETARDATION, PRE-TERM DELIVERY) SHOWS LOWER TRENDS IN YOGA GROUP. 2005 6 765 41 EFFECT OF THE INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY ON PLATELET COUNT AND URIC ACID IN PREGNANCY: A MULTICENTER STRATIFIED RANDOMIZED SINGLE-BLIND STUDY. 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 (> 150X10(9)/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, CHI(2) 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. 2013 7 1136 43 EFFICACY OF YOGA ON PREGNANCY OUTCOME. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFICACY OF YOGA ON PREGNANCY OUTCOMES. DESIGN AND SETTING: THREE HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE (335) WOMEN ATTENDING THE ANTENATAL CLINIC AT GUNASHEELA SURGICAL AND MATERNITY HOSPITAL IN BANGALORE, INDIA, WERE ENROLLED BETWEEN 18 AND 20 WEEKS OF PREGNANCY IN A PROSPECTIVE, MATCHED, OBSERVATIONAL STUDY; 169 WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 166 WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: WOMEN WERE MATCHED FOR AGE, PARITY, BODY WEIGHT, AND DOPPLER VELOCIMETRY SCORES OF UMBILICAL AND UTERINE ARTERIES. YOGA PRACTICES, INCLUDING PHYSICAL POSTURES, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION WERE PRACTICED BY THE YOGA GROUP ONE HOUR DAILY, FROM THE DATE OF ENTRY INTO THE STUDY UNTIL DELIVERY. THE CONTROL GROUP WALKED 30 MINUTES TWICE A DAY (STANDARD OBSTETRIC ADVICE) DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. COMPLIANCE IN BOTH GROUPS WAS ENSURED BY FREQUENT TELEPHONE CALLS AND STRICT MAINTENANCE OF AN ACTIVITY DIARY. MAIN OUTCOMES: BIRTH WEIGHT AND GESTATIONAL AGE AT DELIVERY WERE PRIMARY OUTCOMES. RESULTS: THE NUMBER OF BABIES WITH BIRTH WEIGHT > OR = 2500 GRAMS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER (P < 0.01) IN THE YOGA GROUP. PRETERM LABOR WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER (P < 0.0006) IN THE YOGA GROUP. COMPLICATIONS SUCH AS ISOLATED INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RETARDATION (IUGR) (P < 0.003) AND PREGNANCY-INDUCED HYPERTENSION (PIH) WITH ASSOCIATED IUGR (P < 0.025) WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE EFFECTS NOTED IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA DURING PREGNANCY IS SAFE. IT IMPROVES BIRTH WEIGHT, DECREASES PRETERM LABOR, AND DECREASES IUGR EITHER IN ISOLATION OR ASSOCIATED WITH PIH, WITH NO INCREASED COMPLICATIONS. 2005 8 1257 31 FETAL AND MATERNAL RESPONSES TO YOGA IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER. OBJECTIVE: THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE MATERNAL AND FETAL RESPONSES TO A TYPICAL, MODERATE-INTENSITY YOGA SESSION IN HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN DURING THE THIRD TRIMESTER USING CONTINUOUS MONITORING.METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY IN LOW-RISK, PREGNANT WOMEN USED THE MONICA AN24 ABDOMINAL ECG WIRELESS MATERNAL-FETAL MONITOR TO MEASURE FETAL HEART RATE, MATERNAL HEART RATE, AND UTERINE ACTIVITY DURING A PRENATAL YOGA SESSION. SESSIONS INCLUDED 4 TIME PERIODS: (1) 20-MINUTE REST, (2) 50 MINUTES STANDARD PRENATAL YOGA, (3) 10-MINUTE MEDITATION, (4) 20-MINUTE RECOVERY. DATA WERE CONTINUOUSLY RECORDED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SESSION, STORED AT 0.25-SECOND INTERVALS, AND THEN AVERAGED OVER 5-MINUTE INTERVALS. TO EVALUATE CHANGES OVER TIME, OVERALL MEANS FOR THE FOUR TIME PERIODS (REST, YOGA, MEDITATION, RECOVERY) WERE COMPARED USING ONE-WAY ANOVA WITH REPEATED MEASURES. POST-HOC PAIRWISE COMPARISONS (TUKEY'S) WERE USED TO PROBE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FOUR TIME POINTS. STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE WAS REACHED AT P < .05.RESULTS: TWENTY PARTICIPANTS WERE ENROLLED; 19 COMPLETED THE YOGA SESSION. MEAN GESTATIONAL AGE WAS 35 WEEKS AND 6 DAYS (RANGE OF 32-0/7 TO 38-6/7) WITH AN AVERAGE PARTICIPANT AGE OF 32 +/- 2.7 YEARS. MATERNAL HEART RATES SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED DURING THE YOGA PERIOD (102 +/- 11 BPM) COMPARED TO REST (90 +/- 10), MEDITATION (85 +/- 12), AND RECOVERY (88 +/- 10) (P < .01). THE MAXIMUM MATERNAL HEART RATE REACHED DURING THE YOGA SESSION WAS 125 +/- 13 BPM. WHILE FETAL HEART RATES FLUCTUATED SLIGHTLY OVER THE COURSE OF THE YOGA SESSION, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT FETAL HEART RATE DECELERATIONS TO SUGGEST DELETERIOUS FETAL EFFECTS. THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG RESTING (138 +/- 14 BPM), YOGA (137 +/- 11 BPM), MEDITATION (139 +/- 7 BPM), OR RECOVERY (135 +/- 22 BPM) FETAL HEART RATES (P = .814). UTERINE ACTIVITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER DURING THE YOGA PERIOD COMPARED WITH THE OTHER TIME POINTS (P < .001).CONCLUSION: YOGA CAN BE RECOMMENDED FOR LOW-RISK WOMEN DURING PREGNANCY AS NO ADVERSE FETAL OR MATERNAL HEART RATE CHANGES WERE OBSERVED DURING A TYPICAL PRENATAL YOGA SESSION. 2020 9 2113 40 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE DELIVERY AND NEONATAL OUTCOMES IN NULLIPAROUS PREGNANT WOMEN IN IRAN: A CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY. BACKGROUND: YOGA CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF PRETERM DELIVERY, CESAREAN SECTION (CS), AND FETAL DEATH. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PREGNANCY, DELIVERY, AND NEONATAL OUTCOMES. METHODS: THIS WAS A CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY AND USING THE RANDOM SAMPLING WITHOUT REPLACEMENT 70 PREGNANT WOMEN ENTERED HATHA YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS ACCORDING TO THE COLOR OF THE BALL THEY TOOK FROM A BAG CONTAINING TWO BALLS (BLUE OR RED). THE DATA COLLECTION TOOL WAS A QUESTIONNAIRE PREGNANCY, DELIVERY, AND NEONATAL OUTCOMES. THE INTERVENTION IN THIS STUDY INCLUDED PREGNANCY HATHA YOGA EXERCISES THAT FIRST SESSION OF PREGNANCY YOGA STARTED FROM THE 26TH WEEK AND SAMPLES ATTENDED THE LAST SESSION IN THE 37TH WEEK. THEY EXERCISED YOGA TWICE A WEEK (EACH SESSION LASTING 75 MIN) IN A YOGA SPECIALIZED SPORTS CLUB. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED THE ROUTINE PRENATAL CARE THAT ALL PREGNANT WOMEN RECEIVE. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT YOGA REDUCED THE INDUCTION OF LABOR, THE EPISIOTOMY RUPTURE, DURATION OF LABOR, ALSO HAD A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON NORMAL BIRTH WEIGHT AND DELIVERY AT THE APPROPRIATE GESTATIONAL AGE. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND APGAR SCORES OF THE INFANTS. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS OF THE PRESENT STUDY SHOWED THAT YOGA CAN IMPROVE THE OUTCOMES OF PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH. THEY CAN BE USED AS PART OF THE CARE PROTOCOL ALONG WITH CHILDBIRTH PREPARATION CLASSES TO REDUCE THE COMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH. TRIAL REGISTRATION: IRCT20180623040197N2 (2019-02-11). 2021 10 267 46 ACUTE FETAL BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE TO PRENATAL YOGA: A SINGLE, BLINDED, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (TRY YOGA). BACKGROUND: IN 2012, YOGA WAS PRACTICED BY 20 MILLION AMERICANS, OF WHOM 82% WERE WOMEN. A RECENT LITERATURE REVIEW ON PRENATAL YOGA NOTED A REDUCTION IN SOME PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS (IE, PRETERM BIRTH, LUMBAR PAIN, AND GROWTH RESTRICTION) IN THOSE WHO PRACTICED YOGA; TO DATE, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE ON FETAL RESPONSE AFTER YOGA. OBJECTIVES: WE AIMED TO CHARACTERIZE THE ACUTE CHANGES IN MATERNAL AND FETAL RESPONSE TO PRENATAL YOGA EXERCISES USING COMMON STANDARDIZED TESTS TO ASSESS THE WELL-BEING OF THE MATERNAL-FETAL UNIT. STUDY DESIGN: WE CONDUCTED A SINGLE, BLINDED, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. UNCOMPLICATED PREGNANCIES BETWEEN 28 0/7 AND 36 6/7 WEEKS WITH A NONANOMALOUS SINGLETON FETUS OF WOMEN WHO DID NOT SMOKE, USE NARCOTICS, OR HAVE PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH YOGA WERE INCLUDED. A COMPUTER-GENERATED SIMPLE RANDOMIZATION SEQUENCE WITH A 1:1 ALLOCATION RATIO WAS USED TO RANDOMIZE PARTICIPANTS INTO THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP. WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 1-TIME, 1 HOUR YOGA CLASS WITH A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR WHO TAUGHT A PREDETERMINED YOGA SEQUENCE. IN THE CONTROL GROUP, EACH PARTICIPANT ATTENDED A 1-TIME, 1 HOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION BY AN OBSTETRICIAN ON AMERICAN CONGRESS OF OBSTETRICIANS AND GYNECOLOGISTS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXERCISE, NUTRITION, AND OBESITY IN PREGNANCY. ALL PARTICIPANTS UNDERWENT PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION TESTING, WHICH CONSISTED OF UMBILICAL AND UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLER ULTRASOUND, NONSTRESS TESTING, A BIOPHYSICAL PROFILE, MATERNAL BLOOD PRESSURE, AND MATERNAL HEART RATE. A BOARD-CERTIFIED MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST, AT A DIFFERENT TERTIARY CENTER, INTERPRETED ALL NONSTRESS TESTS AND BIOPHYSICAL PROFILE DATA AND WAS BLINDED TO GROUP ASSIGNMENT AND PRE- OR POSTINTERVENTION TESTING. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS A CHANGE IN UMBILICAL ARTERY DOPPLER SYSTOLIC TO DIASTOLIC RATIO. SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATIONS INDICATED 19 WOMEN PER GROUP WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO DETECT THIS DIFFERENCE IN DOPPLER INDICES (ALPHA, 0.05; POWER, 80%). DATA WERE ANALYZED USING A REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE, A CHI(2), AND A FISHER EXACT TEST. A VALUE OF P < .05 WAS CONSIDERED SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: OF THE 52 WOMEN RANDOMIZED, 46 (88%) COMPLETED THE STUDY. THERE WAS NO CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN UMBILICAL ARTERY SYSTOLIC TO DIASTOLIC RATIO (P = .34), PULSATILITY INDEX (P = .53), OR RESISTANCE INDEX (P = .66) BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. FETAL AND MATERNAL HEART RATE, MATERNAL BLOOD PRESSURE, AND UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLERS REMAINED UNCHANGED OVER TIME. WHEN UMBILICAL ARTERY INDICES WERE INDIVIDUALLY COMPARED WITH GESTATIONAL AGE REFERENCES, THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE WHO IMPROVED OR WORSENED BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN FETAL BLOOD FLOW ACUTELY AFTER PERFORMING YOGA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PREGNANCY. YOGA CAN BE RECOMMENDED FOR LOW-RISK WOMEN TO BEGIN DURING PREGNANCY. 2016 11 2524 29 YOGA DURING PREGNANCY: EFFECTS ON MATERNAL COMFORT, LABOR PAIN AND BIRTH OUTCOMES. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM DURING PREGNANCY, ON MATERNAL COMFORT, LABOR PAIN, AND BIRTH OUTCOMES. A RANDOMIZED TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED USING 74-PRIMIGRAVID THAI WOMEN WHO WERE EQUALLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS (EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL). THE YOGA PROGRAM INVOLVED SIX, 1-H SESSIONS AT PRESCRIBED WEEKS OF GESTATION. A VARIETY OF INSTRUMENTS WERE USED TO ASSESS MATERNAL COMFORT, LABOR PAIN AND BIRTH OUTCOMES. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS FOUND TO HAVE HIGHER LEVELS OF MATERNAL COMFORT DURING LABOR AND 2H POST-LABOR, AND EXPERIENCED LESS SUBJECT EVALUATED LABOR PAIN THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. IN EACH GROUP, PAIN INCREASED AND MATERNAL COMFORT DECREASED AS LABOR PROGRESSED. NO DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND, BETWEEN THE GROUPS, REGARDING PETHIDINE USAGE, LABOR AUGMENTATION OR NEWBORN APGAR SCORES AT 1 AND 5 MIN. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS FOUND TO HAVE A SHORTER DURATION OF THE FIRST STAGE OF LABOR, AS WELL AS THE TOTAL TIME OF LABOR. 2008 12 1090 31 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE INTERVENTION OF LEVATOR ANI HIATUS IN POSTPARTUM WOMEN: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY. [PURPOSE] THIS STUDY AIMED TO EXPLORE THE APPLICATION VALUE OF YOGA INTERVENTION IN EARLY POSTPARTUM RECOVERY OF THE LEVATOR ANI MUSCLE HIATUS (LAH) AREA. [PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS] FEMALES IN NATURAL LABOR FROM MAY 2020 TO NOVEMBER 2020 IN THE THIRD PEOPLE'S HOSPITAL OF SUN YAT-SEN UNIVERSITY ULTRASOUND RESEARCH CENTER WERE PROSPECTIVELY INCLUDED FOR A PELVIC ULTRASOUND EXAMINATION. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED NO INTERVENTION. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVED 60-MIN YOGA ONCE A WEEK FROM WEEK 1 TO WEEK 12 POSTPARTUM. A PELVIC ULTRASOUND EXAMINATION WAS PERFORMED ON THE WEEK 6 AND WEEK 12 POSTPARTUM. THE LAH AREA WAS MEASURED AT REST, DURING CONTRACTION AND VALSALVA MANEUVER. [RESULTS] A TOTAL OF 128 PARTICIPANTS WHO MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE SELECTED AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (N=66) AND THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N=62) IN PRE AND POST INTERVENTION DESIGN. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND IN AGE, PARITY, BODY MASS INDEX, AND FETAL WEIGHT BETWEEN THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS. FURTHER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN THE LAH AREA BETWEEN THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS AT REST, DURING CONTRACTION AND VALSALVA MANEUVER ON THE WEEK 6 POSTPARTUM. HOWEVER, THE LAH AREA IN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AT REST, DURING CONTRACTION AND VALSALVA MANEUVER ON THE WEEK 12 POSTPARTUM. THE DIFFERENCES OF LAH AREA (DATE WEEK 6 MINUS DATE WEEK 12) IN THE CONTROL GROUP AT REST, DURING CONTRACTION AND VALSALVA MANEUVER WERE 0.12 +/- 3.12 CM(2), 0.80 +/- 2.29 CM(2), AND 0.80 +/- 4.22 CM(2), WHILE IN THE CONTROL THESE WERE 1.95 +/- 3.41 CM(2), 1.39 +/- 1.91 CM(2), AND 3.81 +/- 5.49 CM(2), RESPECTIVELY. COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP, THE DIFFERENCES OF LAH AREA SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AT REST AND DURING VALSALVA MANEUVER. [CONCLUSION] YOGA INTERVENTION CAN HELP IN THE RECOVERY OF LAH. 2021 13 1135 33 EFFICACY OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISCOMFORTS AND DELIVERY OUTCOMES IN CHINESE PRIMIPARAS. BACKGROUD AND PURPOSE: ALMOST EVERY WOMAN EXPERIENCES DISCOMFORTS DURING PREGNANCY. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISCOMFORTS AND DELIVERY OUTCOMES IN CHINESE PRIMIPARAS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED. PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 32) RECEIVED ROUTINE PRENATAL CARE, WHEREAS PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 32) RECEIVED ROUTINE PRENATAL CARE AND YOGA EXERCISE THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. OUTCOMES EVALUATED INCLUDED PHYSIOLOGICAL DISCOMFORTS, PRENATAL DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY AND DELIVERY OUTCOMES. INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED. RESULTS: YOGA DECREASED THE SYMPTOMS OF PHYSIOLOGICAL DISCOMFORTS DURING PREGNANCY (F = 6.966, P = 0.010), PROMOTED CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY (F = 11.900, P = 0.001), INCREASED THE RATE OF VAGINAL DELIVERY (CHI(2) = 4.267, P = 0.039), AND SHORTENED THE LENGTH OF THE FIRST (T = -2.612, P = 0.012), SECOND (Z = -3.313, P = 0.001) AND THIRD STAGES OF LABOR (Z = -3.137, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: YOGA OFFERS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON PHYSIOLOGICAL DISCOMFORTS, CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY AND DELIVERY OUTCOMES IN CHINESE PRIMIPARAS. 2021 14 2231 26 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 15 1003 29 EFFECTS OF MATERNITY YOGA ON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM DURING PREGNANCY. AIM: TO ELUCIDATE THE CHANGES IN THE DAILY VARIATION SEEN IN THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM DURING PREGNANCY BROUGHT ABOUT BY MATERNITY YOGA AND TO EVALUATE HOW MATERNAL YOGA AFFECTS STRESS AND SLEEP. METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE, LONGITUDINAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN JANUARY 2013 AND DECEMBER 2014. PREGNANT WOMEN WHO WERE ATTENDING MATERNITY YOGA CLASSES AT PALMORE HOSPITAL BETWEEN 20 AND 23 WEEKS' GESTATION WERE ENROLLED AS THE YOGA GROUP, AND A MATCHED CONTROL GROUP WAS ALSO ENROLLED. STUDY PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES, INCLUDING A PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE AND SLEEP LOGS, DURING THEIR SECOND AND THIRD TRIMESTERS. HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND SALIVARY ALPHA-AMYLASE LEVELS WERE EVALUATED AS STRESS INDICES AT 20-23 WEEKS' GESTATION, 28-31 WEEKS' GESTATION AND 36-40 WEEKS' GESTATION. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 38 WOMEN WERE IN THE YOGA GROUP, WITH 53 IN THE CONTROL GROUP. AT 28-31 WEEKS' GESTATION, HEART RATE VARIABILITY DURING NIGHT AND LATE-NIGHT PERIODS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. AT 36-40 WEEKS' GESTATION, VARIABILITY BETWEEN THE MORNING, AFTERNOON AND LATE NIGHT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP. SALIVARY ALPHA-AMYLASE LEVELS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IMMEDIATELY AFTER PRACTICING YOGA DURING ALL EVALUATION PERIODS IN THE YOGA GROUP. NIGHT-TIME SLEEP DURATION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT PRACTICING YOGA ACTIVATES THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM DURING THE THIRD TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY, CONSOLIDATING SLEEP DURING THE NIGHT AND DECREASING ALPHA-AMYLASE LEVELS, WHICH INDICATES REDUCED STRESS. 2018 16 1361 33 IMMEDIATE STRESS REDUCTION EFFECTS OF YOGA DURING PREGNANCY: ONE GROUP PRE-POST TEST. BACKGROUND: EXCESSIVE STRESS DURING PREGNANCY MAY CAUSE MENTAL DISORDERS IN PREGNANT WOMEN AND INHIBIT FETAL GROWTH. YOGA MAY ALLEVIATE STRESS DURING PREGNANCY. AIM: TO VERIFY THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS RESPONSE DURING PREGNANCY. METHODS: ONE GROUP PRE-POST TEST WAS CONDUCTED AT A HOSPITAL IN JAPAN. WE RECRUITED 60 HEALTHY PRIMIPARAS WITHOUT COMPLICATIONS AND ASKED THEM TO ATTEND YOGA CLASSES TWICE A MONTH AND TO PRACTICE YOGA AT THEIR HOMES USING DVD 3 TIMES A WEEK FROM 20 GESTATIONAL WEEKS UNTIL CHILDBIRTH. SALIVARY CORTISOL AND ALPHA-AMYLASE CONCENTRATION WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA CLASSES AT TIME 1 (27-32 GESTATIONAL WEEKS) AND TIME 2 (34-37 GESTATIONAL WEEKS). SUBJECTIVE MOOD WAS ASSESSED USING THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES. SALIVA VALUES AND MOOD SCORES BEFORE AND AFTER EACH YOGA CLASS WERE COMPARED USING PAIRED T-TEST AND WILCOXON RANK-SUM TEST, RESPECTIVELY. FINDINGS: WE ANALYZED 44 AND 35 WOMEN AT TIME 1 AND TIME 2, RESPECTIVELY. THE MEAN SALIVARY CORTISOL CONCENTRATION DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER EACH YOGA CLASS [TIME 1: 0.36-0.26MUG/DL (P<0.001), TIME 2: 0.32-0.26MUG/DL (P=0.001)]. THE MEAN SALIVARY ALPHA-AMYLASE CONCENTRATION ALSO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY FOLLOWING EACH CLASS [TIME 1: 72.2-50.8KU/L (P=0.001), TIME 2: 70.6-52.7KU/L (P=0.006)]. THE SCORES FOR NEGATIVE DIMENSIONS OF MOOD (TRAIT-ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ANGER-HOSTILITY, FATIGUE, AND CONFUSION) DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. THE SCORES OF VIGOR FOR A POSITIVE DIMENSION OF MOOD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY INDICATED THE IMMEDIATE STRESS REDUCTION EFFECTS OF YOGA DURING PREGNANCY. 2016 17 1797 48 PRENATAL YOGA: EFFECTS ON ALLEVIATION OF LABOR PAIN AND BIRTH OUTCOMES. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PRENATAL YOGIC EXERCISES ARE EFFECTIVE IN ALLEVIATING LABOR PAIN AND IMPROVING BIRTH OUTCOMES, BY COMPARING PREGNANT WOMEN UNDERTAKING YOGA WITH A CONTROL GROUP. TRIAL DESIGN: SINGLE BLINDED, PARALLEL RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. METHODS: TWO HUNDRED PRIMIGRAVID WOMEN OF 30 WEEKS OF GESTATION ONWARD WHO MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA (PRIMIGRAVIDA, 20-35 YEARS OF AGE, GESTATIONAL AGE OF 30 WEEKS, NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE OF YOGA) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO STUDY (N = 100) AND CONTROL GROUPS (N = 100) BY USING THE MINIMIZED RANDOMIZATION PROGRAM VERSION 2.01. THE STUDY GROUP RECEIVED THE INTERVENTION IN THE FORM OF INTEGRATED YOGA CONSISTING OF A SERIES OF 30-MIN PRACTICE SESSIONS AT THE 30TH, 32ND, 34TH, 36TH, 37TH, 38TH, AND 39TH WEEKS OF GESTATIONAL AGE. THE MATCHED CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PERFORM YOGA. THE PATIENTS WERE FOLLOWED TILL DELIVERY FOR MATERNAL COMFORT, ALLEVIATION OF LABOR PAIN, AND BIRTH OUTCOME. ALLEVIATION OF LABOR PAIN WAS ASSESSED BY USING NUMERICAL PAIN INTENSITY SCALE (NPIS), PAIN BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATIONAL SCALE (PBOS), AND MATERNAL DELIVERY COMFORT QUESTIONNAIRE. ONLY THE ASSESSORS WERE BLINDED. RESULTS: TWO HUNDRED PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO 100 EACH IN CASE AND CONTROL GROUPS. FINAL ANALYSIS WAS DONE ON 75 PATIENTS IN EACH GROUP AFTER EXCLUSION DUE TO DEVELOPMENT OF COMPLICATIONS, LOSS TO FOLLOW-UP. THE REQUIREMENT OF INDUCTION OF LABOR AND ANALGESICS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS IN THE STUDY GROUP (P < 0.044, P < 0.045). THERE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE NUMBER OF NORMAL VAGINAL DELIVERIES (P < 0.037) AND LESS CAESAREAN SECTIONS (P < 0.048), SHORTER FIRST STAGE OF LABOR (P < 0.0003) IN THE STUDY GROUP PRACTICING YOGA. THE TOLERANCE OF PAIN WAS BETTER IN THE STUDY GROUP AS SHOWN BY NPIS (P < 0.001) AND PBOS SCORES (P < 0.0001). POSTPARTUM, THE MATERNAL COMFORT QUESTIONNAIRE SCORE SHOWED HIGHER COMFORT IN THE STUDY GROUP (P < 0.032). THE NUMBER OF LOW BIRTH WEIGHT BABIES WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY LESS IN THE STUDY GROUP (P < 0.042). THERE WERE NO ADVERSE EFFECTS ATTRIBUTED TO YOGA. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY HAS HIGHLIGHTED THAT YOGA IS A NONINVASIVE, EASY TO LEARN MIND-BODY MEDICINE AND COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH PRACTICE, EFFECTIVE IN ALLEVIATION OF LABOR PAIN AND POSSIBLY IMPROVING BIRTH OUTCOME. 2018 18 2088 34 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 19 713 32 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON ANXIETY, DEPRESSION & WELL BEING IN NORMAL PREGNANCY. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON PREGNANCY EXPERIENCE, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN NORMAL PREGNANCY. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY RECRUITED 96 WOMEN IN 20TH WEEK OF NORMAL PREGNANCY. YOGA GROUP (N = 51) PRACTICED INTEGRATED YOGA AND CONTROL GROUP (N = 45) DID STANDARD ANTENATAL EXERCISES, ONE HOUR DAILY, FROM 20TH TO 36TH WEEK OF GESTATION. MANN-WHITNEY AND WILCOXON'S TESTS WERE USED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS (MANN-WHITNEY P < 0.001) IN ALL VARIABLES. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WITHIN GROUPS (WILCOXON'S P < 0.001) IN BOTH GROUPS. PREGNANCY RELATED EXPERIENCE (PEQ) REDUCED IN YOGA BY 26.86%, STATE (STAI I) ANXIETY (DECREASED 15.65% IN YOGA, INCREASED 13.76% IN CONTROL), TRAIT (STAI II) ANXIETY (DECREASED 8.97% IN YOGA, INCREASED 5.02% IN CONTROL) AND DEPRESSION (HADS) (DECREASED 30.67% IN YOGA, INCREASED 3.57% IN CONTROL). CONCLUSION: YOGA REDUCES ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND PREGNANCY RELATED UNCOMFORTABLE EXPERIENCES. 2013 20 183 33 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