Physiological and Psychological Effects of Pregnancy Yoga: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The aim of this systematic review is to systematically examine the effects of prenatal pregnancy yoga on physiological and psychological disorders during pregnancy. Between January 2014 and December 2018 (last five years), Google Scholar, MEDLINE, Scopus, and CINAHL generated 945 articles from EBSCO sources. In order to search the articles, ”prenatal yoga“, “pregnancy yoga”, “yoga”, “yoga for pregnancy” and “antenatal yoga” were used. The study included articles from healthy pregnant women, published in the last five years, which were experimental and control groups, whose full text was available, and the publication language was either in Turkish or English. A total of 13 studies, which met the inclusion criteria of the articles, formed the sample of the systematic review. The findings of the articles were evaluated under two groups as their physiological effects and psychological effects. Two groups of pre-test, perspective, longitidunal and randomized controlled studies were included in the study. In the studies, it is determined that as physiological effects of yoga, salivary cortisol level, fetal heart rate, maternal heart rate, maternal blood pressure, uterine artery pressure, low back pain, low back pain related disability, immune globulin A levels, oxygen saturation, sleep, salivary amylase level dependent variables were evaluated. As psychological effects of yoga, it is determined that anxiety, depression, stress, psychosocial health, prenatal attachment variables were evaluated. Pregnancy yoga was found to affect all variables positively. It can be said that yoga during pregnancy can be used as an effective method to improve physiological and psychosocial health levels of pregnant women.

Keywords

• Pregnancy yoga,prenatal yoga,nursing

Gebelik Yogasının Fizyolojik ve Psikolojik Etkileri: Bir Sistematik Derleme

Öz

Bu sistematik incelemenin amacı  prenatal gebelik yogasının gebelerin deneyimlediği fizyolojik ve psikolojik rahatsızlıklara etkisine ilişkin çalışmaların sistematik olarak incelenmesidir. Çalışmanın evrenini Ocak 2014-Aralık 2018 (son beş yıl) tarihleri arasında Google Scholar, MEDLINE, Scopus, ve CINAHL, EBSCO kaynaklarından taranarak ulaşılan 945 makale oluşturdu. Makaleleri taramak için  “prenatal yoga”, “pregnancy yoga”, “yoga”, “yoga  for pregnancy”, “antenatal yoga” anahtar kelimeleri kullanıldı. Örneklemi sağlıklı gebelerden oluşan, son beş yılda yayımlanmış, deney ve kontrol grubu olan, tam metnine ulaşılabilen, yayın dili Türkçe ya da İngilizce olan makaleler inceleme kapsamına alındı. İncelenen makalelerden araştırmaya dâhil edilme kriterlerini karşılayan toplam 13 çalışma sistematik derlemenin örneklemini oluşturdu. Gebelik yogasına ilişkin incelenen makalelerin bulguları fizyolojik etkileri ve psikososyal etkileri olarak iki grup altında değerlendirildi. Araştırmaya dahil edilen makalelerin iki gruplu ön test, perspektif, longitidunal ve randomize kontrollü çalışmalar olduğu saptandı. Çalışmalarda yoganın fizyolojik etkileri olarak tükürük kortizol seviyesi, fetal kalp hızı, maternal kalp hızı, maternal kan basıncı, uterin arter basıncı, bel ağrısı, bel ağrısı ile ilgili sakatlık, immün globulin A seviyeleri, oksijen Satürasyonu, uyku, tükürük amilaz seviyesi bağımlı değişkenlerinin değerlendirildiği belirlendi. Psisososyal etkileri olarak ise anksiyete, depresyon, kaygı, stres, psikososyal sağlık, prenatal bağlanma değişkenlerinin değerlendirildiği saptandı. Gebelik yogasının incelenen tüm değişkenleri olumlu yönde etkilediği belirlendi. Gebelik yogasının gebelerin fizyolojik ve psikososyal sağlık düzeylerini iyileştirmede etkili bir yöntem olarak kullanılabileceği söylenebilir. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Gebelik yogası,prenatal yoga,hemşirelik

References

1. Abolghasemi, S., Azizi, S., Fard, M. A., Behzadi, S., & Bakhtjo, E. (2014). The effect of yoga approaches on pregnant women anxiety. Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 3(11), 206-211.
2. Akarsu, R.H., & Rathfisch, G. (2018). The effect of pregnancy yoga on the pregnant’s psychosocial health and prenatal attachment. IJTK, 17(4), 732-740.
3. Babbar, S., Hill, J. B., Williams, K. B., Pinon, M., Chauhan, S. P., & Maulik, D. (2016). Acute fetal behavioral Response to prenatal Yoga: a single, blinded, randomized controlled trial (TRY yoga). American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 214(3), 399-e1-399-e8. Doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2015.12.032.
4. Babbar, S., Parks-Savage, A.C., & Chauhan, S. P. (2012). Yoga during pregnancy: A Review. American Journal of Perinatology, 29(6), 459-464.
5. Babbar, S., & Shyken, J. (2016). Yoga in pregnancy. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 59(3), 600-612.
6. Beddoe, A.E., & Lee K.A. (2018). Mind-Body interventions during pregnancy. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 37(2), 165–175.
7. Bershadsky, S., Trumpfheller, L., Kimble, H.B., Pipaloff, D., & Yim, I.S. (2014). The effect of prenatal Hatha yoga on affect, cortisol and depressive symptoms. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 20(2), 106-113.
8. Chen, P.J., Yang, L., Chou, C.C., Li, C.C., Chang, Y.C., & Liaw, J.J. (2017). Effects of prenatal yoga on women’s stress and immune function across pregnancy: A randomized controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 31, 109-117. Doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2017.03.003.

9. Davis, D.C. (1996). The discomforts of pregnancy. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 25(1), 73-81. Doi: 10.1111/j.1552-6909.1996.tb02516.x.
10. Field, T. (2011). Yoga clinical research review. Complement Ther Clin Pract,17(1),1-8. Doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2010.09.007.
11. Hayase, M., & Shimada, M. (2018). Effects of maternity yoga on the autonomic nervous system during pregnancy. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, 44(10), 1887-1895.
12. Hamdiah, H., Suwondo, A., Hardjanti, T. S., Soejoenoes, A., & Anwar, M. C. (2017). Effect of prenatal yoga on anxiety, blood pressure, and fetal heart rate in primigravida mothers. Belitung Nursing Journal, 3(3), 246-254.
13. Kumar, P. B., Shetty, H., Biliangady, H., & Kumar, D. (2016). Efficacy of yoga on low back pain & disability in primi gravidas. International Journal of Physiotherapy, 3(2), 182-185.
14. Newham, J.J., Wittkowski, A., Hurley, J., Aplin, J. D., & Westwood, M. (2014). Effects of antenatal yoga on maternal anxiety and depression: A Randomized controlled trial. Depression and Anxiety, 31(8), 631-640.
15. Novelia, S., Sitanggang, T. W., & Yulianti, A. (2018). Effects of yoga relaxation on anxiety levels among pregnant women. Nurse Media Journal of Nursing, 8(2), 86-95.
16. Patil, S.G., Dhanakshirur, G.B., Aithala, M.R., Naregal, G., Das, K.K. (2014). Effect of yoga on oxidative stress in elderly with grade‐I hypertension: A randomized controlled study. J Clin Diagn Res, 8(7), 04-07. Doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2014/9498.4586.
17. Sieverdes, J.C., Mueller, M., Gregoski, M.J., Brunner-Jackson, B., McQuade, L., Matthews, C., & Treiber, F.A. (2014). Effects of hatha yoga on blood pressure, salivary α‐amylase, and cortisol function among normotensive and prehypertensive youth. J Altern Complement Med, 20(4), 241– 250. Doi: 10.1089/acm.2013.0139.
18. Sun, Y.C., Hung, Y.C., Chang, Y., & Kuo, S. C. (2010). Effects of a prenatal yoga programme on the discomforts of pregnancy and maternal childbirth self-efficacy in Taiwan. Midwifery, 26(6), 31-36.
19. Sharma, A., Sharma R., & Noheria, S. (2018). Effects of prenatal yogic exercises on psychological parameters of pregnant women during 2 nd and 3 rd trimester. Asian Resonance, 7(4), 248-250.
20. Sharma, R., Sharma, A., & Noheria, S. (2018). Prenatal yoga and it’s effect on blood O2 saturation level of pregnant women. Remarking An Analisation, 3(8), 112- 113.
21. Taneja, D. K. (2014). Yoga and health. Indian journal of community medicine: official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine, 39(2), 68-72. Doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.132716.
22. Yulianti, I., Respati, S. H., & Sudiyanto, A. (2018). The effect of prenatal yoga on anxiety and depression in Kudus, Central Java. Journal of Maternal and Child Health, 3(2),100-104. Doi: 10.26911/thejmch.2018.03.02.02.
23. Wren, A.A., Wright, M.A., Carson, J.W., & Keefe, F.J. (2011). Yoga for persistent pain: New findings and directions for an ancient practice. Pain, 152(3), 477–480. Doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2010.11.017.