EFFECT OF INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA IN NORMAL PREGNANCY A RANDOMIZED ACTIVE CONTROL TRIAL

Abstract

Randomized prospective controlled studies have demonstrated that antenatal yoga is newlinebeneficial in many maternal outcomes including complications of pregnancy, gestational newlineage at delivery, type of delivery, analgesia requirement, placental blood flow, and also in newlinefetal outcomes with higher values on fetal intrauterine growth parameters (head newlinecircumference, femur length etc), Apgar score at birth and birth weight, in both normal and newlinehigh risk pregnancy. The present work was planned to investigate the effect of integrated newlineyoga on labor outcome, cognitive functions and quality of life in pregnant women, as this newlinearea has not been investigated before. newlineMethod: A prospective randomized active control design was adopted for the current newlineresearch. 96 women (age between 20 to 35 years, primi or multi-gravida with at least one newlinelive child) with normal pregnancy were recruited from three multispecialty hospitals in newlinesouth Bengaluru. They were randomized to yoga (N=51) and Control groups (N=45). The newlineexperimental group practiced integrated yoga module and control group practiced standard newlineantenatal exercises, one hour daily from 20th week to 36th week of gestation. newlineOutcome measures included both maternal and fetal parameters. Primary outcome newlinemeasures were: Duration of all three stages of labor, Cognitive function tests including newlineFluency test, Stroop test and Working Memory tests, Heart rate variability and Quality of newlinelife. newlineSecondary outcome measures included: complications of pregnancy, gestational age at newlinedelivery, type of delivery, analgesia requirement, stress measures through subjective Selfadministered newlinequestionnaires (Perceived stress scale, Stat-Trait anxiety scale, Hospital newlineanxiety and Depression scale, Pregnancy related anxiety Questionnaire, Pregnancy newlineexperience questionnaire, Interpersonal relationship, fetal parameters included Apgar score newlineand birth weight. newline