By William C. Haas III, MD, MBA
Integrative Medicine Fellow, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Dr. Haas reports no financial relationships relevant to this field of study.
SUMMARY POINTS
- Yoga therapy reduces levels of prenatal depression compared to non-pharmacological treatment programs not involving yoga therapy.
- Yoga therapy integrating meditation and relaxation practice improve depression levels more than exercise-only yoga therapy.
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SOURCE: Gong H, et al. Yoga of prenatal depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry 2015;15:14-22.
The effect of yoga on prenatal depression, one of the strongest risk factors for postnatal depression, was analyzed in a recent systematic review. Studies that randomly assigned pregnant patients to either a yoga therapy group or a non-pharmacological control group were identified for review. No restrictions were placed on the type of yoga performed or whether all pregnant women enrolled in the studies met DSM-IV criteria for depression.
Six randomized, controlled trials were included for meta-analysis. Three studies involved exercise-based yoga (movement and stretching only), while the other half implemented integrated yoga therapy (exercise along with meditation). Four of the studies enrolled only women meeting DSM-IV criteria for depression, while two studies enrolled depressed as well as non-depressed women.
The results indicated that pregnant women engaging in yoga displayed fewer symptoms of depression than women in non-yoga control groups. These findings were consistent regardless of whether the women met clinical criteria for depression. Additionally, when analyzing the type of yoga therapy implemented, integrated yoga programs demonstrated a significant reduction in depression levels (standardized mean difference [SMD], -0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.07 to -0.51; P < 0.00001), while exercise-based yoga failed to reduce depression levels (SMD, -0.41; CI, -1.01 to -0.18; P = 0.17).
Yoga therapy, particularly forms integrating meditation and relaxation practice, demonstrate potential in the management of prenatal depression. Successful non-pharmacological methods for managing prenatal depression should be implemented whenever possible given the risks for antidepressant therapy during pregnancy.
Yoga therapy reduces levels of prenatal depression compared to non-pharmacological treatment programs not involving yoga therapy. Yoga therapy integrating meditation and relaxation practice improve depression levels more than exercise-only yoga therapy.
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