This is an exclusive excerpt from my book, The Physiology of Yoga.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are utilised during 20% to 60% of pregnancies (Cramer et al 2015), yoga being one of the most popular modalities. There is often a strong belief that the different CAM therapies: enable greater choice and control over the childbearing experience; offer a safe alternative reducing the need for medical intervention; provide an approach congruent with their holistic health beliefs.
Let’s look at the available research that has explored whether yoga can have an impact on pregnancy, labour, and birth outcomes.
Can Yoga Have an Impact on Pregnancy, Labour, and Birth Outcomes?
A 2012 systematic review of the literature on yoga for pregnant women concluded that yoga is well indicated for pregnant women and leads to improvements on a variety of pregnancy, labour, and birth outcomes (Curtis, Weinrib, and Katz 2012). The authors noted that regardless of the type of yoga or specific postures used, modifications should be made according to the specific needs of the individual woman in the prevention of overexertion, stress on the fetus, and premature labour. They commented that yoga is a low-impact, easily modifiable, and mindful activity, and they considered it to be a safe and sustainable activity for pregnant women. The authors also suggested that further randomized controlled trials are needed to provide more information regarding the utility of yoga interventions for pregnancy.
Riley and Drake (2013) carried out a systematic review of the literature on the effects of prenatal yoga on birth outcomes. The authors included both controlled and qualitative studies due to the limited body of research, concluding that all studies found that prenatal yoga provided significant benefits and that no adverse effects were reported. Significant findings from the randomized studies included an increase in infant birth weight, lower incidence of pregnancy complications, shorter duration of labour, and less pain among yoga practitioners. Significant findings from the nonrandomized and qualitative studies included decrease in pain, improved quality of sleep, increased maternal confidence, and improved interpersonal relationships among pregnant women who practiced yoga.
A review by Kinser and colleagues (2017) reviewed 15 studies of physical activity and yoga-based approaches for pregnancy-related low back and pelvic pain. Although additional research is required, the review suggested that nonpharmacologic treatment options, such as gentle physical activity and yoga-based interventions for pregnancy-related low back and pelvic pain and related symptoms can be recommended.
In addition to these benefits, a study of 335 pregnant women by Narendran and colleagues (2005) looking at the efficacy of yoga on pregnancy outcomes concluded that an integrated approach to yoga during pregnancy decreases intrauterine growth retardation either in isolation or associated with pregnancy-induced hypertension, with no increased complications.
Although past intervention studies have looked at yoga’s effect on sleep, the first and only controlled study demonstrating the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on sleep quality in pregnant women was completed by Beddoe and colleagues (2010). They found that no significant sleep improvements were shown with a yoga intervention. However, women who began the intervention in their second trimester had fewer awakenings and less awake time during the night compared to women who began a yoga intervention in their third trimester.
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References:
Beddoe, A., K. Lee, S. Weiss, H. Kennedy, and C. Yang. 2010. “Effects of Mindful Yoga on Sleep in Pregnant Women: A Pilot Study.” Biological Research for Nursing 11 (4): 363-370.
Cramer, H., Frawley, J., Steel, A., Hall, H., Adams, J., Broom, A., and Sibbritt, D. 2015. “Characteristics of women who practice yoga in different locations during pregnancy.” BMJ open 5 (8).
Curtis, K., A. Weinrib, and J. Katz. 2012. “Systematic Review of Yoga for Pregnant Women: Current Status and Future Directions.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2012: 715942.
Kinser, P., J. Pauli, N. Jallo, M. Shall, K. Karst, M. Hoekstra, and A. Starkweather. 2017. “Physical Activity and Yoga-Based Approaches for Pregnancy-Related Low Back and Pelvic Pain.” Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing 46 (3): 334-346.
Narendran, S., R. Nagarathna, V. Narendran, S. Gunasheela, and H. Nagendra. 2005. “Efficacy of Yoga on Pregnancy Outcome.” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 11 (2): 237-244.
Riley, K., and E. Drake. 2013. “The Effects of Prenatal Yoga on Birth Outcomes: A Systematic Review of the Literature.” Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health 28 (1): 3-19.