In India, infertility carries social stigma that often prevents couples from seeking support, increasing psychological distress. A retrospective series evaluated a Heartfulness-based integrative therapy combining a 5-day lifestyle workshop and online meditation sessions among 54 couples (mean female age 30.74, male age 34.03). Of these, 15 couples had male infertility, 16 female infertility, 5 both, and 18 unexplained infertility. 24 couples conceived: 18 naturally, five through assisted reproductive technology, and one spontaneous abortion. The program appeared beneficial for those who followed it as prescribed, suggesting Heartfulness meditation may support fertility outcomes, though causal relationships require future randomized controlled trials.
A 12-week Heartfulness meditation program reduced perceived stress by 17.35% and depression, anxiety, and stress scores by 27.14% among health care students, while a control group showed no significant changes. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels increased significantly by 20.27% in the meditation group, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels decreased in both groups. Gene expression analysis identified 875 upregulated and 1,539 downregulated genes in the meditation group compared to baseline, and 292 upregulated and 1,180 downregulated genes compared to the control group after the intervention. These findings suggest Heartfulness meditation improves mental well-being and alters stress-related biomarkers and gene expression profiles.