Effect of the integrated approach of yoga therapy on platelet count and uric acid in pregnancy: A multicenter stratified randomized single-blind study

Abstract

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 (> 150×109/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, Chi2 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.

Effect of self-care before and during pregnancy to prevention and control preeclampsia in high-risk women

“…reported prenatal yoga as an effective technique for reducing gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. [45] Leeners et al . found that mental stress during pregnancy was associated with a 1.6-fold increase in the risk of gestational hypertension.…”

Potential for Prenatal Yoga to Serve as an Intervention to Treat Depression During Pregnancy

“…Prior studies with healthy, non-depressed samples suggest that yoga may improve overall maternal health and wellbeing, as it is associated with lower lumbo-pelvic pain (Martins & Pinto, 2013), better quality of life (Rakhshani, Maharana, Raghuram, Nagendra, & Venkatram, 2010), lower stress (Satyapriya, Nagendra, Nagarathna, & Padmalatha, 2009), and decreased delivery pain (Chuntharapat, Petpichetchian, & Hatthakit, 2008). Further, women with high risk pregnancies who practiced yoga are less likely to develop pregnancy-induced hypertension or pre-eclampsia (Jayashree et al, 2013), and had fewer preterm births (Rakhshani et al, 2012). However, no studies to date have evaluated pregnancy and birth outcomes among depressed women practicing yoga.…”

Effects of Yoga on Utero-Fetal-Placental Circulation in High-Risk Pregnancy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Being over 5000 years old, the science of yoga has been shown to impact a variety of physical and psychological health conditions, including anxiety, depression, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and pulmonary disorders [ 9 , 10 ]. Additionally, yoga has been shown to improve the outcomes in low-risk [ 11 ] and high-risk pregnancies [ 12 ].…”