--- title: Does physical activity help reduce PMS symptoms in female college students? description: Yes. Moderate and vigorous physical activity were linked to lower rates of PMS. Light activity and sitting time showed no link. This is observational, so we c url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/associations-with-physical-activity-sedentary-behavior-and-premenstrual-syndrome-2023/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does physical activity help reduce PMS symptoms in female college students? Survey study, 2023 # Does physical activity help reduce PMS symptoms in female college students? Yes. Moderate and vigorous physical activity were linked to lower rates of PMS. Light activity and sitting time showed no link. This is observational, so we cannot be certain that exercise prevents PMS. Early or limited evidence 315 Chinese female college students, 221 met inclusion criteria ## What they did Researchers studied 315 Chinese female college students. They measured physical activity and sitting time using an activity monitor, and screened for PMS using a standard tool. ## What they found Among 221 students who met inclusion criteria, 148 (67.0%) had PMS and 73 did not. Moderate physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were significantly linked to lower rates of PMS. Light-intensity activity and sedentary time showed no significant connection to PMS. ## What it means for you This suggests moderate to vigorous exercise may help prevent PMS in college students. However, this is an observational study, so we cannot confirm that exercise definitely prevents PMS. A controlled trial would be needed to prove this. 315 students enrolled 67.0% had PMS 221 met inclusion criteria ## About the study Original title Associations with physical activity, sedentary behavior, and premenstrual syndrome among Chinese female college students Authors Shi Y, Shi M, Liu C et al. Journal BMC women's health Year 2023 Study design Survey study Participants 315 What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02262-x](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02262-x) Original abstract Purpose: Premenstrual syndrome refers to a set of distressing symptoms experienced before the menstrual flow, which can affect female students' behavior, cognitive abilities, mental health status, and academic performance. Identifying modifiable risk factors is essential to reduce the prevalence college students' premenstrual syndrome. We examined associations between premenstrual syndrome and physical activity and sedentary behavior in Chinese female college students. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 315 female college students volunteered to participate at a university in Shanghai, China. We measured physical activity and sedentary behavior using the ActiGraph GT3X-BT and assessed premenstrual syndrome using the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 24.0 software, and the primary analysis methods included Kruskal-Wallis test and logistic regression analysis. Results: Among the 221 female college students who met the inclusion criteria, 148 (67.0%) had PMS while 73 (33.3%) did not. After controlling for confounding variables, moderate physical activity and moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity were significantly associated with premenstrual syndrome. There was no correlation between light-intensity physical activity, sedentary behavior, and premenstrual syndrome in the study. Conclusion: Premenstrual syndrome is prevalent among Chinese female college students. Moderate physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can be effective in reducing PMS symptoms. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2026 Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS? Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Lab study, 2026 Do core stability exercises help women with PMDD? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does video-guided digital menstrual exercise reduce PMS and period pain in adolescent girls? Cohort study, 2026 Are diet and lifestyle linked to premenstrual symptoms in college students? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗