Weekly Yoga Sessions Help Reduce Anxiety and Stress in Pregnant Women: Study

Yoga therapy can help mums-to be remain less stressed or depressed, according to a study.

One in 10 women experience fear and mental distress during pregnancy. Their body undergoes hormonal changes that make them cranky, anxious and tensed most of the time. Mothers end up suffering bouts of depression and stress, which can cause birthing difficulties, low birth weight, mental and behavioral problems in children. It can even increase the risk for postpartum depression, pre-eclampsia and other maternal health disorders. Researchers from Manchester and Newcastle University found that yoga reduces stress and emotional disturbances in expectant mothers and is more beneficial than any other antenatal treatment.

The study carried out in Greater Manchester involved 59 pregnant women who were divided in to two groups - a group that practiced weekly yoga session for eight weeks and a group that received normal antenatal treatment to control stress. All participants were asked to observe their mental and emotional state during the therapy. It was found that a single-yoga session helped reduce anxiety levels by one-third and also decreased the production of stress hormones by 14 percent.

The results were consistent throughout the eight-week experiment. The findings revealed that the overall anxiety scores of women who took part in yoga session were significantly lower than those from the control group.   

"The results confirm what many who take part in yoga have suspected for a long time. There is also evidence yoga can reduce the need for pain relief during birth and the likelihood for delivery by emergency caesarean section," John Aplin, senior investigators in Manchester and yoga expert said in a news release.

"Yoga incorporates relaxation and breathing techniques with postures that can be adapted for pregnant women. Many women opt to practice yoga during their pregnancy but this is the first worldwide report on the effects of both single and multiple sessions of antenatal yoga on mood," said Aplin.

The authors believe implementing compulsory yoga treatments for pregnant women so that they can avoid the burden of high treatment and health care costs.

The research was funded by the Charity Organization called Tommy's in U.K.  More information is available online in the Journal Depression and Anxiety.