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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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Read more: The one exercise all children should be participating in daily

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  • This is certainly very intriguing. Thanks for sharing.

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  • 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

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  • Some good points here, thanks for posting.

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  • Interesting- when I was pregnant with my first baby in 2012 yoga was actually encouraged as being something that is good for pregnant women.

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  • Definitely good to note. Always be careful during pregnancy.

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  • Pregnancy brings with it a lot of changes to lifestyle, thinking etc. This is yet another example.

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  • 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.

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  • Interesting post. Not one that I can relate to, but will certainly share with pregnant friends.

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  • 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.

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  • Like everything else caution is needed in what is done during pregnancy.

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  • Thanks,great for new mums to know!

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  • great article which is very informative

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  • 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!

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  • I love Yoga and modified during pregnancy.

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  • 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.

    Reply

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