A randomized controlled trial examined the effects of a yoga program on perceived maternal labor pain and delivery outcomes in women aged 18–35 years old. Sixty women were randomly assigned to either a prenatal yoga program or a control group, and labor pain and discomfort were measured using a visual analogue scale during cervical dilation.
Mothers in the control group reported higher pain intensity compared to the prenatal yoga (experimental) group, and mothers in the experimental group required a decreased frequency of labor induction in comparison with the control group. Mothers in the experimental group also experienced a shorter duration of the second and third stages of labor, and had a slightly lower percentage of cesarean section than the control group.
The study concluded that yoga during pregnancy may contribute to a reduction in labor pain and improved adequacy of childbirth.
Read the abstract at www.ctcpjournal.com/article/S1744-3881(16)30231-6/fulltext?rss=yes.
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