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Survey study, 2026

Does PMS prevent women from exercising?

There is a weak link between PMS and physical activity, but it is unexpected and very weak. The study needs to be repeated with more women to confirm the finding.

Early or limited evidence 131 women aged 18-30 years

What they did

Cross-sectional online survey of 131 women aged 18-30. Researchers asked about PMS severity, menstrual symptoms, and how much physical activity they did each week.

What they found

Most women (85.5%) had mild PMS and 66.4% had moderate menstrual symptoms. Surprisingly, higher PMS severity was weakly linked with higher physical activity (r=0.184), not lower activity as expected.

What it means for you

The unexpected finding was very weak and may not be real. The study was small and done online, which makes it less reliable. A larger study would be needed to understand whether PMS truly affects exercise habits.

131

women studied

85.5%

with mild PMS

0.184

strength of association (very weak)

About the study

Original title
Association Between Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), Menstruation-Related Symptoms (MRS), and Physical Activity Participation Among Young Adult Women
Authors
Naim Faiz Ahmad Imran, Saidatul Atiqah Syahlan
Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES
Year
2026
Study design
Survey study
What was tested
None (observational study)
Open access
Yes

Topics