Vol. 2, Issue 2, Part A (2025)

Background: Despite expanded antenatal care (ANC) coverage, gestational complications and adverse perinatal outcomes remain major contributors to maternal-neonatal morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income settings. Ayurveda describes Garbhini paricharya a month-wise regimen of diet, lifestyle, Garbhasthāpaka measures and avoidance of fetal-harming factors as a holistic approach to safeguard maternal health and optimise fetal growth.

Objective: To evaluate the role of adherence to a standardised Garbhini paricharya protocol, delivered alongside routine obstetric care, in reducing gestational complications and improving perinatal outcomes.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 220 pregnant women with singleton gestations, enrolled ≤16 weeks at a tertiary-care Ayurvedic teaching hospital, were followed until delivery. All received standard ANC; in addition, a protocolised Garbhini paricharya regimen was offered. Adherence was assessed at each visit using a structured checklist and women were categorised into high- (n=112) and low-adherence (n=108) cohorts based on cumulative scores. Primary outcomes were composite gestational complications (hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, anaemia, preterm labour, premature rupture of membranes, intrauterine growth restriction) and key perinatal outcomes (birth weight, gestational age at delivery, small-for-gestational-age status, Apgar scores, neonatal intensive care unit admission and perinatal mortality). Group comparisons used appropriate bivariate tests and multivariable logistic regression adjusting for maternal age, parity, body mass index, socioeconomic status, baseline haemoglobin and obstetric risk factors.

Results: Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. Any gestational complication occurred in 22.3% of high- versus 41.7% of low-adherence women. High adherence was associated with lower rates of hypertensive disorders, anaemia, preterm labour, premature rupture of membranes and intrauterine growth restriction. Mean birth weight (2.96 vs 2.72 kg) and gestational age at delivery (38.4 vs 37.6 weeks) were higher in the high-adherence group, with fewer low-birth-weight, small-for-gestational-age neonates and fewer neonatal intensive care unit admissions. After adjustment, high Garbhini paricharya adherence remained independently protective for any gestational complication (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.45), preterm birth (aOR 0.47), low birth weight (aOR 0.52) and neonatal intensive care unit admission (aOR 0.49).

Conclusion: High adherence to a standardised Garbhini paricharya regimen, integrated with routine obstetric ANC, was associated with substantially fewer gestational complications and improved perinatal outcomes. These findings support the feasibility and potential public-health value of incorporating structured Ayurvedic antenatal regimens into comprehensive, woman-centred ANC models, and justify larger multi-centre and long-term follow-up studies.