04/04/2019 / By Michelle Simmons
Pregnant women may find yoga beneficial. A study suggests that prenatal yoga can help reduce labor pain and potentially improve birth outcomes. It is also a safe and easy-to-learn mind-body therapy.
Published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, the study looked at the effectiveness of prenatal yoga exercises in alleviating labor pain and improving birth outcomes. In conducting the study, researchers from India enrolled 200 first-time pregnant women aged 20 to 35 years old. The expectant moms were at their 30th week of pregnancy and had no experience in yoga.
The researchers divided the participants into two groups: a yoga group and a control group. The yoga group performed 30 minutes of yoga from their 30th to their 39th week of pregnancy, while the control group did not perform yoga. Then, the researchers assessed the delivery for maternal comfort, alleviation of labor pain, and birth outcome.
The results of the study revealed that pregnant women who practiced yoga experienced significantly reduced labor induction and used lesser analgesics compared to those who did not perform yoga. The researchers also recorded more normal vaginal deliveries and less cesarean sections, as well as a shorter first stage of labor in the yoga group compared to the control group.
Participants in the yoga group also had better pain tolerance and experienced higher maternal comfort than the control group. In addition, they were more likely to have a healthy baby, as the researchers recorded a significantly fewer number of low birth weight babies. Moreover, yoga did not cause any side effects, an indication that it is safe for pregnant women.
From these findings, the researchers concluded that yoga is a safe and easy-to-learn mind-body therapy and complementary health practice for effectively reducing labor pain and potentially improving birth outcomes.
Practicing yoga during pregnancy also offers the following benefits:
Read more news stories and studies on yoga and its many health benefits by going to HealingArts.news.
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Tagged Under: birth outcomes, labor pain, maternal comfort, pregnancy, prenatal yoga, research, therapies, women's health, Yoga