1 – Serviço de Ginecologia/Obstetrícia, Hospital Dona Estefânia, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, EPE, Lisboa;
2 – Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa;
3 – Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa;
4 – Serviço de Neonatologia, Hospital Dona Estefânia, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, EPE, Lisboa
“Music: Social Impacts, Health Benefits and Perspectives”. In: P Simon and T Szabo (Eds), Nova Science Publishers, Inc. (Ed), New York, 2013, ISBN: 978-1-62808-144-2; Capítulo 10, pp 217-232
Introduction: Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to anxiety disorders, but stress and anxiety have been associated with premature and low birth weight babies, presumably because of fetus overexposure to glucocorticoids of maternal origin. Antenatal stress also seems to have long-term effects upon the newborn development and adult health. Medication carries risks to the expectant mother, thus the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions should be investigated.
Objective: This chapter reviews relevant literature on the negative effects of mother’s anxiety upon the fetus and, because music has long been suggested to be a valid method of relaxation, studies regarding the effect of music listening in the fetus and in adults are also reviewed. We present results of our own study on the impact of three methods of relaxation upon pregnant women awaiting amniocentesis.
Methods: Women (n=184) were randomly divided into three groups and subjected to a 30 min intervention: (1) listening to relaxing music, (2) sitting and reading magazines, and (3) sitting in the waiting-room. Before and after the intervention, women completed the Spielberger’s self-rating anxiety questionnaire and provided blood samples for cortisol (C) and testosterone (T). The groups were compared regarding change in C and T levels and in anxiety.
Results: We found a significant correlation between C in maternal plasma and amniotic fluid. Maternal C and state anxiety were also correlated. The greater decreases in plasma C occurred in the music group, followed by the magazine group, and differences between interventions were statistically significant. Women in the music group also decreased T and had the greater decreases in state anxiety.
Conclusion: Pregnant women might benefit from the routine practice of relaxation in clinical settings or at home. Such practice should diminish the likelihood of fetus exposure to high levels of stress hormones, mainly cortisol, with health benefits for child postnatal development and for adulthood. Music appears to be an effective and inexpensive way to lower anxiety levels in a short period of time, a benefit that has been shown to correlate with decreases in plasma and amniotic cortisol and plasma testosterone. We propose that routine use of relaxing music should thus be considered before stressful clinical events and as a domestic routine during pregnancy.
Key words: antenatal stress, pregnancy, relaxation, music, hormones