The Efficacy of Yoga therapy on Risk Reduction in High-risk Pregnancy. A Narrative Review

Abstract

This review evaluates the impact of yoga intervention on pregnancy outcomes, Quality of life, and the mental and physical health of pregnant mothers in high-risk pregnancies. The objectives of this study are to understand the impact of Yoga on high-risk Pregnancy, to explore Yoga as an alternative and safe therapy during this period, and to investigate how Yoga improves the Quality of life and fetal outcomes, including APGAR scores and Fetal birth weights. A literature review was conducted from conception until February 2023, using the keywords Yoga and High-risk Pregnancy in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases. Using these keywords, we retrieved 138 articles. Only 17 studies were included in this trial, based on the inclusion criteria, which were all RCTs, review studies, and Articles, and excluded short communications, Single case and non-scientific studies. We observed that yoga intervention and various antenatal programs during Pregnancy help reduce the incidences of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), pre-eclampsia (PE), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and preterm birth (PTB), as well as improve the Quality of life and mental and physical health of expectant mothers in high-risk Pregnancy. According to this review, yoga interventions are an effective, non-pharmacological therapy for pregnant women with high-risk pregnancies in terms of all its complications, such as IUGR, preterm birth, Fetal parameters like APGAR Score, and Fetal Weight.