1 1790 29 PRENATAL YOGA AND CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION: A RESPONSE TO TRACY POSNER'S BIRTH STORY. IN THIS LETTER TO THE EDITOR, THE AUTHOR RESPONDS TO A BIRTH STORY PUBLISHED IN A PREVIOUS ISSUE OF THE JOURNAL OF PERINATAL EDUCATION AND DISCUSSES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRACTICING PRENATAL YOGA AND CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION. 2010 2 364 9 ASSOCIATIONS OF MATERNAL LIGHT/MODERATE LEISURE-TIME WALKING AND YOGA WITH OFFSPRING BIRTH SIZE. BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH PERINATAL WALKING AND YOGA HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED RISKS OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS WITH OFFSPRING BIRTH SIZE HAVE BEEN INCONSISTENT. WE INVESTIGATED ASSOCIATIONS OF PREPREGNANCY AND EARLY PREGNANCY LEISURE-TIME LIGHT/MODERATE WALKING AND YOGA PRACTICE WITH BIRTH SIZE. METHODS: STUDY PARTICIPANTS (N = 3687) REPORTED LEISURE-TIME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURATION (HOURS PER WEEK) IN THE YEAR BEFORE PREGNANCY AND EARLY PREGNANCY. BIRTH SIZE WAS ABSTRACTED FROM MEDICAL RECORDS. REGRESSION WAS USED TO DETERMINE MEAN DIFFERENCES IN BIRTH WEIGHT, HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE, AND PONDERAL INDEX. INTERACTION TERMS WERE USED TO ASSESS EFFECT MODIFICATION BY OFFSPRING SEX. RESULTS: ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF WOMEN REPORTED LIGHT/MODERATE LEISURE-TIME WALKING AND ABOUT 10% REPORTED YOGA PRACTICE. WOMEN IN THE HIGHEST TERTILE FOR PREPREGNANCY (MEAN: 2.9 H/WK; RANGE: 1.4-20 H/WK) OR EARLY PREGNANCY (MEAN: 5.9 H/WK; RANGE: 3.1-24 H/WK) LIGHT/MODERATE WALKING HAD OFFSPRING WITH 0.9 AND 1.5 KG/M(3) GREATER PONDERAL INDEX (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, 0.3 TO 1.4 AND 0.7 TO 2.4, RESPECTIVELY) COMPARED WITH WOMEN WHO REPORTED NO LIGHT/MODERATE WALKING IN THE SAME TIME PERIOD. LIGHT/MODERATE WALKING WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH BIRTH WEIGHT OR HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE. YOGA PRACTICE WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH BIRTH SIZE. ASSOCIATIONS WERE SIMILAR BY OFFSPRING SEX. CONCLUSION: LIGHT/MODERATE LEISURE-TIME WALKING MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER OFFSPRING PONDERAL INDEX. 2018 3 1142 11 EFFICACY, FEASIBILITY, AND ACCEPTABILITY OF PERINATAL YOGA ON WOMEN'S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW. INTRODUCTION: PERINATAL MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER AFFECTS 20% OF WOMEN, WHILE PERINATAL ANXIETY AFFECTS 10% OF WOMEN. ALTHOUGH PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT HAS SHOWN EFFECTIVENESS, MANY PREGNANT WOMEN ARE CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL ADVERSE EFFECTS ON THE FETUS, MATERNAL-INFANT BONDING, AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT. APPROXIMATELY 38% OF AMERICAN ADULTS USE COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, INCLUDING YOGA AND OTHER MIND-BODY STRATEGIES. ALTHOUGH COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE HAS BEEN LESS STUDIED IN THE PERINATAL POPULATION, IT POTENTIALLY OFFERS WOMEN AND THEIR PROVIDERS ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL MEDICATION FOR TREATMENT OF PERINATAL DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. THUS, THE PURPOSE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO EXAMINE EXISTING EMPIRICAL LITERATURE ON YOGA AND ITS EFFECTS ON WOMEN'S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DURING THE PERINATAL PERIOD. METHOD: FOLLOWING PRISMA (PREFERRED REPORTING ITEMS FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND META-ANALYSES) GUIDELINES FOR SYSTEMIC LITERATURE REVIEWS, LITERATURE SEARCHES USING RELEVANT SEARCH TERMS WERE PERFORMED IN FOUR MAJOR ELECTRONIC DATABASES: CINAHL, PUBMED, PSYCINFO, AND EMBASE. THIRTEEN PUBLICATIONS MET INCLUSION CRITERIA. RESULTS: RESULTS INDICATED THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS ARE GENERALLY EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN PREGNANT WOMEN. DISCUSSION: THE USE OF YOGA IN THE PERINATAL PERIOD SHOWS PROMISE IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING FOR WOMEN AND INFANTS. THIS REVIEW CAN INFORM FUTURE YOGA INTERVENTION STUDIES AND CLINICAL PRACTICE WITH THE PERINATAL POPULATION. 2016 4 1332 7 HOT YOGA AND PREGNANCY: FITNESS AND HYPERTHERMIA. QUESTION: ONE OF MY PREGNANT PATIENTS WISHES TO CONTINUE HER HOT YOGA EXERCISES DURING PREGNANCY. IS THIS PRACTICE SAFE? ANSWER: WITH THE INCREASED RISK OF NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS AND POSSIBLY OF OTHER MALFORMATIONS AMONG FETUSES EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE HEAT, PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULD AVOID PRACTISING HOT YOGA DURING PREGNANCY. 2014 5 106 12 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 6 1199 11 EXERCISE AND YOGA DURING PREGNANCY AND THEIR IMPACT ON DEPRESSION: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW. IT IS WELL ESTABLISHED THAT EXERCISE CAN IMPROVE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN THE GENERAL POPULATION; HOWEVER, IT IS NOT CLEAR IF THESE BENEFITS ARE ALSO SEEN IN PREGNANCY. THIS REVIEW AIMED TO SYNTHESIZE THE EVIDENCE THAT EXAMINES WHETHER EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY IMPACTS DEPRESSIVE AND ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS (E.G. ANXIETY) DURING THE PERINATAL PERIOD. THE REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PRISMA GUIDELINES AND REPORTING CRITERIA; LITERATURE WAS SEARCHED USING PUBMED, SCOPUS AND WEB OF SCIENCE DATABASE ENGINES. CLINICAL TRIALS PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF A DEFINED EXERCISE PROTOCOL DURING PREGNANCY ON DEPRESSIVE AND/OR ANXIETY SYMPTOMS DURING THE PERINATAL PERIOD WERE INCLUDED. STUDIES WITHOUT A CONTROL GROUP WERE EXCLUDED. RISK OF BIAS WAS CONDUCTED BY COCHRANE ASSESSMENT TO APPRAISE THE QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES. TWENTY-SEVEN ARTICLES, BETWEEN 1994 AND 2019, WERE INCLUDED. OF THESE, ONLY 5 SPECIFICALLY RECRUITED WOMEN WITH DEPRESSION (N = 334), WHICH ALL ASSESSED A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION; 4 OF THESE STUDIES SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSIVE AND/OR ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED TO BASELINE; HOWEVER, 2 OF THESE STUDIES ALSO SHOWED AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE REMAINING 22 STUDIES USED VARIOUS EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS IN PREGNANT WOMEN (N = 4808) WITH 20 STUDIES REPORTING THAT EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY HAS THE ABILITY TO IMPROVE DEPRESSIVE AND/OR ANXIETY MEASURES IN THE PERINATAL PERIOD COMPARED TO EITHER BASELINE OR CONTROL. THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT EXERCISE OF VARIOUS TYPES IN PREGNANCY CAN REDUCE DEPRESSIVE AND/OR ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN THE PERINATAL PERIOD IN OTHERWISE HEALTHY WOMEN. SPECIFICALLY IN WOMEN WITH ANTENATAL DEPRESSION, THE INCORPORATION OF YOGA IN PREGNANCY CAN IMPROVE DEPRESSIVE/ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN THE PERINATAL PERIOD; HOWEVER, THIS IS BASED ON A SMALL NUMBER OF STUDIES, AND IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER THIS IS SUPERIOR TO NON-EXERCISE CONTROLS. FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF EXERCISE OF VARIOUS TYPES DURING PREGNANCY ON SYMPTOMS OF ANTENATAL DEPRESSION. 2022 7 150 8 A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF A PRENATAL YOGA INTERVENTION TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE GESTATIONAL WEIGHT GAIN: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF INTERVIEWS. PURPOSE: TO DESCRIBE PREGNANT WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES AND PERCEIVED FACILITATORS/BARRIERS OF A PRENATAL YOGA INTERVENTION TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE GESTATIONAL WEIGHT GAIN (EGWG). METHODS: PREGNANT WOMEN (N = 13) WERE INTERVIEWED AFTER PARTICIPATION IN A 12-WEEK PRENATAL YOGA INTERVENTION TO PREVENT EGWG. INTERVIEWS WERE SUMMARIZED USING THEMATIC ANALYSIS. RESULTS: TWELVE THEMES WERE IDENTIFIED AND ORGANIZED INTO FOUR CATEGORIES: 1) EXPERIENCES OF PRENATAL YOGA (POSITIVE EXPERIENCE/ENJOYMENT, PAIN RELIEF, CONNECTING TO BODY), 2) PRENATAL YOGA AND WEIGHT (INCREASED MINDFULNESS/SELF-AWARENESS, INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, WEIGHT MANAGEMENT), 3) BARRIERS TO PRENATAL YOGA (PHYSICAL BODY, COMMUTE/TRAFFIC, SCHEDULE), AND 4) FACILITATORS OF PRENATAL YOGA (HEALTHY PREGNANCY, SUPPORT FROM OTHER PREGNANT WOMEN, THE FEELING FROM PRENATAL YOGA). CONCLUSION: PRENATAL YOGA MAY RELIEVE PAIN AND HELP WOMEN BE MORE CONNECTED TO THEIR BODIES. PRENATAL YOGA MAY ALSO HELP WOMEN BECOME MORE AWARE OF THEIR HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND INCREASES THEIR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WHICH MAY HAVE IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR REDUCING EGWG. 2021 8 956 11 EFFECTS OF A PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME ON THE DISCOMFORTS OF PREGNANCY AND MATERNAL CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY IN TAIWAN. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE A YOGA PROGRAMME PROVIDED TO PRIMIGRAVIDAS IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY WITH THE AIM OF DECREASING THE DISCOMFORTS ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY AND INCREASING CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY. DESIGN: NON-RANDOMISED CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. SETTING: A HOSPITAL IN NORTHERN TAIWAN. PARTICIPANTS: THE TARGET POPULATION WAS PRIMIGRAVIDAS AT 26-28 WEEKS OF GESTATION (NO HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES) WHO HAD NOT ENGAGED IN REGULAR EXERCISE OR YOGA FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR. THE STUDY INCLUDED 88 INDIVIDUALS; 43 IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND 45 IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WHO TOOK PART IN THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME. INTERVENTION: THE DURATION OF THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME WAS 12-14 WEEKS, WITH AT LEAST THREE SESSIONS PER WEEK. EACH WORKOUT LASTED FOR 30 MINUTES. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: WOMEN WHO TOOK PART IN THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER PREGNANCY DISCOMFORTS THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (38.28 VS 43.26, Z=-2.58, P=0.01) AT 38-40 WEEKS OF GESTATION. THE SUBJECTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE YOGA PROGRAMME EXHIBITED HIGHER OUTCOME AND SELF-EFFICACY EXPECTANCIES DURING THE ACTIVE STAGE OF LABOUR (104.13 VS 83.53, T=3.24, P=0.002; 99.26 VS 77.70, T=3.99, P 9) ON THE EDINBURGH POSTNATAL DEPRESSION SCREEN AT BASELINE. IN ADDITION TO A BASELINE DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT, WOMEN COMPLETED SELF-RATINGS ON DEPRESSION, MINDFULNESS, AND MATERNAL-FETAL ATTACHMENT BEFORE AND AFTER M-YOGA. FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT M-YOGA WAS FEASIBLE, ACCEPTED AND EFFECTIVE. SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED (P = 0.025), WHILE MINDFULNESS (P = 0.007) AND MATERNAL-FETAL ATTACHMENT (P = 0.000) SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED. OVERALL, THIS PILOT STUDY IS THE FIRST TO DEMONSTRATE THAT M-YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT ALTERNATIVE OR AUGMENTATION TO PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR PREGNANT WOMEN AT HIGH RISK FOR PSYCHOPATHOLOGY. 2012 13 236 11 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW: THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PREGNANCY. OBJECTIVE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED TO UPDATE AND PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ANTENATAL YOGA ON PREGNANCY COMPARED TO STANDARD PRENATAL CARE. STUDY DESIGN: FOUR DATABASES WERE SEARCHED USING KEYWORDS "YOGA", "PREGNANCY", "PERINATAL CARE", "PRENATAL CARE", "POSTNATAL CARE", "POSTPARTUM PERIOD", "PERIPARTUM PERIOD", "PATIENT OUTCOME ASSESSMENT", "OUTCOME ASSESSMENT", "PREGNANCY OUTCOME", "TREATMENT OUTCOME". TRIALS WERE CONSIDERED IF THEY WERE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) PUBLISHED FROM 2011 TO 2018 AND EVALUATED AN ANTENATAL YOGA INTERVENTION. ALL STUDIES WERE ASSESSED FOR RISK OF BIAS USING THE COCHRANE CRITERIA. TRIAL CHARACTERISTICS AND OUTCOMES WERE EXTRACTED AND SYNTHESIZED DESCRIPTIVELY WHERE POSSIBLE. DUE TO HETEROGENEITY, META-ANALYSIS WAS NOT POSSIBLE. RESULTS: OF THE 175 NON-DUPLICATED STUDIES, 16 MET CRITERIA FOR FULL-TEXT REVIEW. FIVE RCTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA AND WERE INCLUDED IN THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THE FINDINGS OF THE RCTS SUGGEST ANTENATAL YOGA MAY BE SAFE AND MAY EFFECTIVELY DECREASE STRESS LEVELS, ANXIETY SCORES, DEPRESSION SCORES, AND PAIN RESPONSE AS WELL AS INCREASING MATERNAL IMMUNITY AND EMOTIONAL-WELLBEING. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO BE SAFE AND MAY IMPROVE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PREGNANCY OUTCOMES. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE LIMITED NUMBER OF STUDIES, MORE HIGH-QUALITY, LARGE RCTS ARE NEEDED TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS ABOUT IMPROVEMENT IN OTHER PREGNANCY OUTCOMES. 2020 14 2113 12 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 15 1217 12 EXPLORING THE IMPACTS OF MINDFULNESS AND YOGA UPON CHILDBIRTH OUTCOMES AND MATERNAL HEALTH: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW. BACKGROUND: FOETAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES OF THE INFANT ARE INFLUENCED BY THE INTRAUTERINE ENVIRONMENT. STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE MATERNAL HEALTH IN PREGNANCY ARE NEEDED TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR CHILDBEARING WOMEN AND BABIES, ADVANCING THE WELL-BEING OF OUR GENERAL POPULATION. AIM: TO SYNTHESISE THE EXISTING LITERATURE TO DETERMINE THE IMPACTS OF MINDFULNESS AND YOGA PRACTICE UPON BIRTH OUTCOMES AND MATERNAL HEALTH. METHODS: AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW USING WHITTEMORE AND KNAFL'S FRAMEWORK WAS UNDERTAKEN IN 2016-2017. TWO SEARCH STRATEGIES INCLUDED DATABASE PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES AND ANCESTRY SEARCHING, THAT IS EXPLORING THE REFERENCE LIST OF RELEVANT RESEARCH ARTICLES. AFTER SCREENING AND CHECKING THE ELIGIBILITY, A TOTAL OF 12 ARTICLES WERE INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. DATA ANALYSIS INVOLVED CODING, VISUAL DISPLAYS, THEMATIC ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON, AND CONCLUSION DRAWING. RESULTS: THE RESULTS OF THIS REVIEW IDENTIFIED A BROAD THEME THAT MINDFULNESS AND YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH ANTENATALLY AND POSTNATALLY. SUBTHEMES HAVE BEEN PRESENTED UNDER THE CENTRAL THEME INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING: INCREASED MINDFULNESS CORRELATES WITH DECREASED FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH; REDUCED SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION; AND SUPPORTIVE GROUP SETTINGS FOUND TO BE BENEFICIAL BY PREGNANT WOMEN. CONCLUSION: THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED IN THIS REVIEW SUGGESTS THAT MINDFULNESS AND YOGA PRACTICE ARE FEASIBLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS TO ENHANCE MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH, PARTICULARLY FOR WOMEN EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES. MINDFULNESS AND YOGA PRACTISED REGULARLY IN THE ANTENATAL PERIOD CAN SIGNIFICANTLY PROMOTE THE HEALTH OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND POTENTIALLY THEIR DEVELOPING BABIES. 2020 16 2595 8 YOGA FOR MILITARY SERVICE PERSONNEL WITH PTSD: A SINGLE ARM STUDY. THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) SYMPTOMS, RESILIENCE, AND MINDFULNESS IN MILITARY PERSONNEL. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING THE YOGA INTERVENTION WERE 12 CURRENT OR FORMER MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO MET THE DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL FOR MENTAL DISORDERS-FOURTH EDITION-TEXT REVISION (DSM-IV-TR) DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR PTSD. RESULTS WERE ALSO BENCHMARKED AGAINST OTHER MILITARY INTERVENTION STUDIES OF PTSD USING THE CLINICIAN ADMINISTERED PTSD SCALE (CAPS; BLAKE ET AL., 2000) AS AN OUTCOME MEASURE. RESULTS OF WITHIN-SUBJECT ANALYSES SUPPORTED THE STUDY'S PRIMARY HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA WOULD REDUCE PTSD SYMPTOMS (D = 0.768; T = 2.822; P = .009) BUT DID NOT SUPPORT THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE MINDFULNESS (D = 0.392; T = -0.9500; P = .181) AND RESILIENCE (D = 0.270; T = -1.220; P = .124) IN THIS POPULATION. BENCHMARKING RESULTS INDICATED THAT, AS COMPARED WITH THE AGGREGATED TREATMENT BENCHMARK (D = 1.074) OBTAINED FROM PUBLISHED CLINICAL TRIALS, THE CURRENT STUDY'S TREATMENT EFFECT (D = 0.768) WAS VISIBLY LOWER, AND COMPARED WITH THE WAITLIST CONTROL BENCHMARK (D = 0.156), THE TREATMENT EFFECT IN THE CURRENT STUDY WAS VISIBLY HIGHER. 2015 17 183 9 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 18 22 11 "YOGA WAS MY SAVING GRACE": THE EXPERIENCE OF WOMEN WHO PRACTICE PRENATAL YOGA. BACKGROUND: APPROXIMATELY 20% OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES PRACTICE PRENATAL YOGA, BUT THERE IS A PAUCITY OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF THESE WOMEN. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY EXAMINES WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES PARTICIPATING IN COMMUNITY-BASED PRENATAL YOGA. METHOD: A QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE EXPLORATORY DESIGN USED FOCUS GROUPS WITH A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM WOMEN (N = 14) WHO ENGAGED IN PRENATAL YOGA WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 6 MONTHS. CONTENT ANALYSIS WAS EMPLOYED TO IDENTIFY KEY THEMES AND SUBTHEMES. RESULTS: THREE THEMES AROSE: (A) STRESS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS COMMONLY INSTIGATE WOMEN'S INTEREST IN PRENATAL YOGA, (B) PRENATAL YOGA IS PERCEIVED TO BE PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND PHYSICALLY BENEFICIAL, AND (C) PRENATAL YOGA IS PERCEIVED AS MORE BENEFICIAL THAN OTHER GROUP CLASSES. CONCLUSIONS: PREGNANT WOMEN WITH STRESS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS MAY BE DRAWN TO PRENATAL YOGA FOR THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL BENEFITS. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND RESEARCHERS FOCUS ON THESE NEEDS, PARTICULARLY WHEN DESIGNING PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES WITH THIS POPULATION. 2015 19 2051 11 THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PRENATAL YOGA AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF RITODRINE HYDROCHLORIDE DURING PREGNANCY: AN ADJUNCT STUDY OF THE JAPAN ENVIRONMENT AND CHILDREN'S STUDY. INTRODUCTION: WHILE THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF PRENATAL YOGA HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN RECENT YEARS, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN PREGNANT JAPANESE WOMEN. DESPITE SEVERAL ADVERSE EFFECTS, RITODRINE HYDROCHLORIDE IS FREQUENTLY PRESCRIBED TO SUPPRESS PRETERM LABOR IN JAPAN, AND ITS USAGE MAY THEREFORE INDICATE CASES OF PRETERM LABOR. THIS STUDY AIMED TO CLARIFY THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PRENATAL YOGA AND RITODRINE HYDROCHLORIDE USE DURING PREGNANCY. METHODS: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AS AN ADJUNCT STUDY BY THE HOKKAIDO UNIT OF THE JAPAN ENVIRONMENT AND CHILDREN'S STUDY. INFORMATION ON PRENATAL YOGA PRACTICE WAS COLLECTED USING A SELF-QUESTIONNAIRE BETWEEN MARCH 21, 2012, AND JULY 7, 2015, TARGETING WOMEN WHO HAD RECENTLY DELIVERED. RITODRINE HYDROCHLORIDE USE WAS IDENTIFIED FROM MEDICAL RECORDS. A TOTAL OF 2,692 WOMEN WERE ANALYZED USING LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODELS THAT ADJUSTED FOR POSSIBLE CONFOUNDERS. RESULTS: THERE WERE 567 (21.1%) WOMEN WHO PRACTICED PRENATAL YOGA, WHICH WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A LOWER RISK OF RITODRINE HYDROCHLORIDE USE (ADJUSTED ODDS RATIO [OR] 0.77; 95% CI 0.61-0.98). THIS WAS ESPECIALLY EVIDENT IN WOMEN WITH A TOTAL PRACTICE DURATION THAT EXCEEDED 900 MINUTES THROUGHOUT THEIR PREGNANCY (ADJUSTED OR 0.54; 95% CI 0.38-0.76). A SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS THAT EXCLUDED PATIENTS WITH THREATENED ABORTION DURING THE STUDY PERIOD PRODUCED SIMILAR RESULTS. CONCLUSIONS: PRENATAL YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A LOWER RISK OF RITODRINE HYDROCHLORIDE USE, PARTICULARLY IN WOMEN WITH MORE THAN 900 MINUTES OF PRACTICE TIME OVER THE COURSE OF THEIR PREGNANCY. PRENATAL YOGA MAY BE A BENEFICIAL OPTION FOR PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE SELECTION OF ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES. 2016 20 468 12 CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN WHO PRACTICE YOGA IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS DURING PREGNANCY. OBJECTIVES: YOGA PRACTICE DURING PREGNANCY IS GAINING INCREASING POPULARITY. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PREGNANT WOMEN WHO PRACTICED YOGA IN REGARD TO THE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS (AT HOME, IN YOGA CLASSES, OR BOTH). DESIGN: THE STUDY SAMPLE WAS DRAWN FROM THE AUSTRALIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON WOMEN'S HEALTH (ALSWH), A NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF WOMEN TO INVESTIGATE MULTIPLE FACTORS AFFECTING HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF WOMEN OVER A 20-YEAR PERIOD. SETTING: POSTAL SURVEY. PARTICIPANTS: WOMEN BORN BETWEEN 1973 AND 1978, WHO WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM THE NATIONAL MEDICARE DATABASE AND IDENTIFIED AS BEING PREGNANT OR HAVING RECENTLY GIVEN BIRTH (N=2316). OUTCOME MEASURES: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOGA USE (ATTENDING YOGA CLASSES AND/OR PRACTISING YOGA AT HOME) AND WOMEN'S CHARACTERISTICS (DEMOGRAPHIC MEASURES, PREGNANCY-RELATED HEALTH CONCERNS, HEALTH SERVICE UTILISATION, ATTITUDES TO COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE). RESULTS: PRACTISING YOGA BOTH AT HOME AND IN CLASSES WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PERCEIVING COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) AS PREVENTATIVE (ODDS RATIO (OR)=1.62); PERCEIVING CAM AS AFFORDING HEALTH CONTROL (OR=1.50); EXPERIENCING SADNESS (OR=1.72); PREPARING FOR LABOUR (OR=2.31); BIRTHING IN A BIRTH CENTRE (OR=7.97); AND EXPERIENCING LESS VOMITING (OR=0.38). PRACTISING AT HOME ONLY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PERCEIVING CAM AS AFFORDING HEALTH CONTROL (OR=1.76); PERCEIVING CAM AS PROMOTING A HOLISTIC HEALTH APPROACH (OR=1.65); AND BIRTHING IN A BIRTH CENTRE (OR=3.54). PRACTISING IN CLASSES ONLY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPERIENCING STRESS (OR=1.97); AND BIRTHING IN A BIRTH CENTRE (OR=4.85) (ALL P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE LOCATION IN WHICH A WOMAN PRACTICES YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTITUDINAL, HEALTH-RELATED AND BIRTH ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. 2015