Yoga to improve maternal mental health and immune function during the COVID-19 crisis (Yoga-M2 trial): study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial. [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]

Background: Mental health of women is adversely affected during pregnancy. A huge proportion of pregnant women suffer from stress and depression which negatively impacts birthweight and neurocognitive development of the fetus. The current crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic further adds to the stressful situation. Yoga practiced during pregnancy has beneficial effects on improving stress and depression and preliminary evidence suggests that yoga-based interventions can improve immunity. This study aims to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a Yoga-based intervention for maternal Mental health and iMmunity (Yoga-M2) in a rural community in India. Open Peer Review Approval Status AWAITING PEER REVIEW Any reports and responses or comments on the article can be found at the end of the article. Page 1 of 15 Wellcome Open Research 2022, 7:109 Last updated: 23 MAR 2022