Abstract
Massage therapy has been demonstrated to be effective during pregnancy. Women who received
massage therapy reported decreased depression, anxiety, and leg and back pain. Cortisol levels
decreased and, in turn, excessive fetal activity decreased, and the rate of prematurity was lower in
the massage group. In a study of labor pain, women who received massage therapy experienced
significantly less pain, and their labors were on average 3 h shorter with less need for medication.
An underlying mechanism we have been exploring is that these effects are mediated by increased
vagal activity. This likely occurs by the stimulation of pressure receptors that are innervated by vagal
afferent fibers, which ultimately project to the limbic system, including hypothalamic structures
involved in autonomic nervous system regulation and cortisol secretion.