title: The influence of maternal hypnosis on fetal movements in anxious pregnant women.
abstract: The influence of maternal hypnotherapy on fetal body movements in anxious parturients was studied in 25 patients at 35-37 weeks of gestation. There were two groups of patients. Group A consisted of 16 parturients who performed self-hypnosis. Group B consisted of 9 parturients in whom hypnosis was induced by a physician. When compared to a control period of 30 min there was a significant increase in the duration of fetal body movements recorded by ultrasound during 30 min of maternal hypnosis, p less than 0.005 for group A and p less than 0.01 for group B. It is suggested that in anxious parturients fetuses move into a more active state when maternal relaxation is achieved by hypnotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology B, Rambam Medical Center, Technion, Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: E Z
authors.initials: EZ
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Peretz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eyal
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fuchs
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005324:Fetal Movement; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014465:Ultrasonics