Music can “touch” the heart within the womb – Benefits for embryos

Many are the benefits they can offer or to those in their mother’s womb. Music is – long ago for future parents – a way to connect with their children in the womb. A group of researchers found evidence that music can calm the heart rate of the fetus, possibly offering developmental benefits. CORVERSE In the research, published in Chaos magazine, 36 pregnant women participated and scientists chose two classic tracks to play, the “The Swan” by French composer Camille Sen-Sans and the “Arpa de Oro” by Mexican composer Abudio Martinez. By connecting external heart rate monitoring devices, researchers were able to measure the response of the heart rate of the embryos to both songs and identify changes in the variability of the heart beats during and after reproduction of the music. The research team used mathematical analysis tools to detect patterns in the variability of heart rate, an indicator that measures time between individual pulses. This element may provide information on the maturation of the embryo’s autonomic nervous system, with the greatest variability often suggesting healthy growth. “In total, we discovered that exposure to music resulted in more stable and predictable patterns of fetal heartbeat. We assume that this momentary effect could stimulate the development of the autonomic nervous system of the embryo,” states author Claudia Lerma, from the National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chavez in Mexico. In addition to the overall effects of music, researchers also examined the differences between the two classical compositions and found that while both were effective, the tune of Mexican guitar in the second composition had a stronger effect. “factors such as rhythmic characteristics, melodic structure or cultural familiarity may be associated with this differentiation,” explains author Eric Alonso Abarka- Castro, assistant professor at Metropolitan Autonomous University of Mexico. The authors of the study intend to continue research, examining different genres and types of music to further understand their effect.