EFFECTS OF MILD RELAXATION TECHNIQUES ON R-R INTERVAL AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN PREGNANT WOMEN DURING SECOND TRIMESTER

Abstract Introduction Recently the incidence of gestational hypertension is on the rise globally. As per WHO report (2003), there is about 40 increase in the incidence of gestational hypertension in India. Gestational hypertension that occurs in the second and third trimester of pregnancy leads to an increase in the morbidity and mortality of both mother and the baby. Recent studies indicate that non pharmacological adjuncts like mild breathing exercises and relaxation techniques like shavasana are useful in reducing sympathetic over- activity and thereby reducing blood pressure. Hence this study is undertaken. Aim and Objective 1)To record the blood pressure and heart rate in selected volunteers of pregnant women in the second trimester of pregnancy, once in 4 weeks from 5th to 7th month of pregnancy. 2) To train the willing volunteers of the study group for adopting mild relaxation techniques and follow them up. 3) To collect the data and analyze statistically. Materials and Methods After getting Institutional Ethical Committee clearance and Informed Consent,62 normotensive pregnant women attending the antenatal OP of the government hospitals were selected and divided into control and study groups. The non invasive techniques of recording the blood pressure and ECG were used to estimate the blood pressure and heart rate. Result The collected data were tabulated, analyzed and compared. Discussion and conclusion The Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) and Heart Rate (HR) were calculated and found to increase in the second trimester of pregnancy in the control group whereas the MAP and HR were found to gradually decrease in the study group who were adopting the mild relaxation techniques during the study period. Key words Gestational Hypertension, MAP, HR, Mild relaxation techniques.