(Cleveland, OH)  --  A new study finds massages during pregnancy can be used to help treat prenatal depression.

   University of Miami researchers split 149 women into two groups.
   One group was given two massages a week between the fifth and seventh month of pregnancy.

   The other group did not receive massages during the same period.
   Results show the massaged group showed signs of decreased depression, lower stress levels, less low back pain and fewer prenatal complications than the group that didn't get massages.

   The massage group also had a 75-percent lower prematurity rate and an 80-percent lower incidence of low birth weight.
   Complete findings of the study can be found in the journal, "Infant Behavior and Development."



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