New Study Touts Yoga as a Stress New Study Touts Yoga as a Stress Reliever for Expectant MothersReliever for Expectant Mothers

•Many pregnant women naturally feel stressed or worried about their baby, their health, and all the responsibilities and life changes involved with becoming a parent. However, pregnant women with very high levels of stress and anxiety can experience complications such as premature birth and low birth weight. Moreover, undue anxiety can lead to postnatal depression.

•Despite a lack of scientific evidence, many physicians have for a long time recommended yoga as a way for pregnant women to control stress. A recent study involving 59 women pregnant with their first child supported the validity of this suggestion, however, by showing that just one yoga session reduced stress hormones by 14 percent and self-reported anxiety by one-third.

•Study participants completed one session of yoga a week for eight weeks. The results demonstrated that the effects of the session did not wane over time; even during the eighth week, yoga still had a similar stress-reducing effect.

•Additional evidence suggests that yoga reduces the need for pain relief during birth and lowers the likelihood of requiring an emergency Caesarean section.

•Additional evidence suggests that yoga reduces the need for pain relief during birth and lowers the likelihood of requiring an emergency Caesarean section.