Study, 2024
Does having a regular exercise habit affect premenstrual symptoms and pain sensitivity?
Women who exercised regularly showed signs of less pain sensitivity and milder premenstrual symptoms than those who did not exercise regularly, but this was a small observational study so it cannot prove that exercise caused the difference.
What they did
Adult women were split into three groups by exercise habit: not exercising, exercising irregularly, and exercising regularly. Average age was 25.9 years. The researchers measured signs of central sensitization, a pattern where the nervous system becomes more sensitive to pain, using two questionnaires, plus premenstrual symptom severity using the Premenstrual Syndrome Scale.
What they found
Background details and menstrual cycle characteristics were similar across the three groups. There was a clear difference between the groups in one of the central sensitization measures (CSI-A). Premenstrual symptom severity was linked to signs of central sensitization and to menstrual pain.
What it means for you
Building a regular exercise habit might help protect against pain sensitivity and premenstrual symptoms, but because the groups were compared rather than tested with a controlled trial, this cannot show for certain that exercise is the cause.
25.9 years
Average age of participants
About the study
- Original title
- DOES EXERCISE HABIT AFFECT CENTRAL SENSITIZATION AND PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS IN ADULT WOMEN? NON-EXERCISING VERSUS (IR)REGULAR-EXERCISING
- Authors
- Zilan Bazancir‐Apaydin, Fulden Sarı
- Journal
- Karya Journal of Health Science
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Comparing exercise habit (non-exercising, irregular exercising, regular exercising), not a treatment that was given to anyone.
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.52831/kjhs.1462237
Topics
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