Motor Imagery in High-Risk Pregnants

Acute Effect of Motor Imagery in High-Risk Pregnants: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

The aim of this study is to determine the acute effects of motor imagery exercises on fetal heart rate, uterine contractions, maternal heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and well-being in high-risk pregnant women.

Bed rest is often recommended in high-risk pregnant women to prevent complications from reaching dangerous levels.

Pregnant women recommended bed rest can benefit from exercise in order to overcome this process more easily, to reduce the negative consequences of inactivity and to prevent possible risks.

However, there may be differences between the view of high-risk pregnant women and the view of healthy pregnant women. Motor imagery refers to a mental process in which an individual mentally imagines that movement without actually eliciting an active movement. Studies have shown that similar brain regions are activated during movement performance and movement imagery. It has been reported in the literature that progressive relaxation exercises performed under mental/motor imagery guidance in healthy pregnant women and pregnant women lead to an improvement in maternal anxiety, stress and fetal attachment scales and a decrease in maternal systolic/diastolic blood pressure. However, as far as the investigators know, there is no study that applies the exercise protocol that can be given to healthy pregnant women to high-risk pregnant women with motor imagery and examines acute responses on fetal and maternal parameters.

Inclusion Criteria:

Risky pregnant women who have completed the 12th week of pregnancy, received inpatient treatment and have any of the following risk factors will be included in the study:

• Pregnant women who are at risk for obstetric outcomes such as cervical insufficiency, multiple pregnancy and uncontrolled gestational diabetes, and physical activity restriction is recommended due to these conditions, and exercise is contraindicated,
• Pregnant women with a maternal body mass index above 30, which causes them to be physically inactive

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women who are at risk for obstetric outcomes such as gestational diabetes mellitus and pregnancy-induced hypertension, but physical activity is recommended
• Pregnant women with severe cardiovascular, pulmonary and systemic disorders
• Pregnant women with psychological seizure disorders
• Pregnant women who do not have any mental problems that prevent cooperation and understanding
• Pregnant women with any medical condition that prevents the safe and effective implementation of interventions.
• Pregnant women in other high-risk groups (such as early membrane rupture, placenta previa, preeclampsia) that may have early intervention in terms of obstetric outcomes.