Randomised trial, 1990
Does the relaxation response help PMS symptoms?
Yes. Women practicing relaxation showed significantly greater improvement than controls, with severe PMS improving by 58% compared to 17% to 27% in other groups over 5 months.
What they did
46 women were randomly assigned to three groups: charting, reading, or relaxation response. The relaxation group practiced eliciting the relaxation response regularly. The study lasted 5 months.
What they found
The relaxation response group showed significantly greater improvement than charting and reading groups on physical symptoms (P < .025 for both). Women with severe symptoms in the relaxation group improved 58.0%, compared with 27.2% in the reading group and 17.0% in the charting group. Emotional and social withdrawal symptoms also improved significantly more in the relaxation group.
What it means for you
Regular relaxation practice is an effective treatment for PMS, especially for women with severe symptoms. This study used active control groups rather than just observation, which strengthens the findings. However, the sample size is small and results should be confirmed in larger studies.
46
women studied
58%
improvement with severe PMS
5
months study duration
About the study
- Original title
- Alleviation of premenstrual syndrome symptoms with the relaxation response
- Authors
- Goodale IL, Domar AD, Benson H
- Journal
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Year
- 1990
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 46
- What was tested
- Regular relaxation response practice
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2179779/