Meditation and mindfulness reduce perceived stress in women with recurrent pregnancy loss: a randomized controlled trial.
Karen Henriette Kirchheiner Jensen, Maria Christine Krog, Emily Koert, Signe Hedegaard, Marie Chonovitsch, Lone Schmidt, Astrid Marie Kolte, Henriette Svarre Nielsen
Author Information
Karen Henriette Kirchheiner Jensen: Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Unit, Copenhagen University Hospitals, Rigshospitalet, Fertility Clinic 4071, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark and Hvidovre Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hvidovre, Denmark. Electronic address: Karen.henriette.jensen@regionh.dk.
Maria Christine Krog: Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Unit, Copenhagen University Hospitals, Rigshospitalet, Fertility Clinic 4071, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark and Hvidovre Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hvidovre, Denmark; Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
Emily Koert: Department of Public Health, Section of Social Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
Signe Hedegaard: Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Unit, Copenhagen University Hospitals, Rigshospitalet, Fertility Clinic 4071, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark and Hvidovre Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hvidovre, Denmark.
Marie Chonovitsch: Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Unit, Copenhagen University Hospitals, Rigshospitalet, Fertility Clinic 4071, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark and Hvidovre Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hvidovre, Denmark.
Lone Schmidt: Department of Public Health, Section of Social Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
Astrid Marie Kolte: Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Unit, Copenhagen University Hospitals, Rigshospitalet, Fertility Clinic 4071, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark and Hvidovre Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hvidovre, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark.
Henriette Svarre Nielsen: Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Unit, Copenhagen University Hospitals, Rigshospitalet, Fertility Clinic 4071, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark and Hvidovre Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hvidovre, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark.
RESEARCH QUESTION: Can participating in a tailored 7-week meditation and mindfulness programme with additional standard supportive care versus standard supportive care only reduce perceived stress for women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL)? DESIGN: A two-armed randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 12-month follow-up. In total 76 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to either standard supportive care or to a 7-week meditation and mindfulness programme led by an instructor in addition to standard supportive care. RESULTS: At intervention completion (after 7 weeks), perceived stress decreased significantly both in the intervention group (P = 0.001) and in the control group (P = 0.006). The decrease in perceived stress in the intervention group was significantly larger (P = 0.027) compared with the control group. At the 12-month follow-up perceived stress was still significantly decreased in both groups compared with baseline (P < 0.0001 in the intervention group and P = 0.002 in the control group). CONCLUSION: This first RCT of a tailored meditation and mindfulness intervention for women with RPL documents that a 7-week daily at-home meditation and mindfulness programme combined with group sessions reduced perceived stress significantly more than a standard supportive care programme. Future studies should address the most effective format and the 'dose' needed for an impact on perceived stress levels.
