Why you should be really careful practicing YOGA during pregnancy

A new report reveals the possible danger for expectant mothers who choose to attend yoga classes during pregnancy.

A 35-year-old pregnant woman experienced a few weeks of vision loss – caused by straining as she stretched into a downward pose, reports Daily Mail.

The difficult position, which sees a rush of blood to the head, was responsible for her valsalva retinopathy (VR), doctors claim.

They said the condition, which causes floaters in the eyes and temporarily affects vision, is usually associated with an episode of straining.

However, they warned the increased pressure in the form of practising the ancient Indian science could also trigger the bizarre symptoms.

Writing in the BMJ Case Reports, doctors treating the patient, believed to be from Leicester, described it as an ‘unusual case’

They said: ‘We present an unusual case of VR in a pregnant woman after yoga. To our knowledge, it has not been reported in the literature in association with yoga.’

The doctors added that certain yoga exercises, such as pranayama – controlled breathing, have been linked to VR in medical literature.

The mum was rushed to the A&E department at Leicester Royal Infirmary at 27 weeks gestation with loss of vision.

Doctors also noticed a large floater in her left eye – which are often dismissed as harmless but can be a sign of something more sinister.

The patient revealed the symptoms were triggered following a head down posture, when her head was below her bottom.

After five months of follow-up, this woman had undergone a normal delivery and her haemorrhages and vision loss had resolved.

Doctors said that prognosis of the strange condition is ‘variable’, but most cases report ‘excellent’ outcomes.

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19 Comments

- - ella12 said
  - 05 Sep 2017
    3:21 pm
This is certainly very intriguing. Thanks for sharing.

- - mom94125 said
  - 01 Sep 2017
    9:34 pm
so maybe this activity triggered the symptoms of something that she already had? either way you should take it easy while pregnant and make sure that your yoga instructor is trained well in dealing with pregnant women

- - mom19782016 said
  - 25 Aug 2017
    8:09 pm
Some good points here, thanks for posting.

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 22 Aug 2017
    2:02 pm
Interesting- when I was pregnant with my first baby in 2012 yoga was actually encouraged as being something that is good for pregnant women.

- - natct said
  - 22 Aug 2017
    5:43 am
Definitely good to note. Always be careful during pregnancy.

- - mom94378 said
  - 21 Aug 2017
    10:12 pm
Pregnancy brings with it a lot of changes to lifestyle, thinking etc. This is yet another example.

- - Nat213 said
  - 21 Aug 2017
    11:44 am
I have been taking pregnancy yoga. I do find it is all relative to the type of yoga you practice. Our instructor is very cautious in the positions we do.

- - rovermum said
  - 21 Aug 2017
    10:26 am
Interesting post. Not one that I can relate to, but will certainly share with pregnant friends.

- - mom232567 said
  - 20 Aug 2017
    10:25 am
Exercise is great when you are pregnant. But if you didn’t exercise at all before you were pregnant going from 1-100 while you are pregnant is a dumb idea.

- - youngoldlady said
  - 19 Aug 2017
    9:08 pm
Like everything else caution is needed in what is done during pregnancy.

- - mom112217 said
  - 19 Aug 2017
    8:03 pm
Thanks,great for new mums to know!

- - momlynneymom said
  - 19 Aug 2017
    6:02 pm
great article which is very informative

- - mom206279 said
  - 19 Aug 2017
    8:39 am
I had an idiot friend who tried yoga for hip pain while pregnant and ended up on 4 months of bed rest. The best exercise while pregnant is gentle exercise in water. So many things can go wrong with yoga!

- - mom93821 said
  - 19 Aug 2017
    6:48 am
I love Yoga and modified during pregnancy.

- - mom101628 said
  - 18 Aug 2017
    10:18 pm
If you are a yoga devotee before becoming pregnant then it is OK to keep doing it. It is not something to start once you are pregnant though.

- - tessie said
  - 18 Aug 2017
    10:02 pm
That’s scary. Yoga is meant to be a gentle form of exercise and I would have thought it would have been perfect for pregnancy

- - june11 said
  - 18 Aug 2017
    8:52 pm
For some people too much straining can restrict blood flow and cause you to faint.

- - Myrlie said
  - 18 Aug 2017
    5:06 pm
Yoga isn’t harmful, but not understanding your limits is. If she had issues having her bum higher than her head, then that is not specifically relating to yoga. Besides during pregnancy, you still need to modify yoga appropriately

- - mom90758 said
  - 18 Aug 2017
    1:29 pm
Oh, and I always thought that yoga was one of the softest way to exercise!!