--- title: Does inhaling lavender oil help with premenstrual syndrome? | Niyora description: Yes. Inhalation of lavender oil reduces PMS symptoms compared with a control group, including anxiety, depression, nervousness, pain, and bloating. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effect-of-aromatherapy-on-coping-with-premenstrual-syndrome-a-randomized-2018/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does inhaling lavender oil help with premenstrual syndrome? Randomised trial, 2018 # Does inhaling lavender oil help with premenstrual syndrome? Yes. Inhalation of lavender oil reduces PMS symptoms compared with a control group, including anxiety, depression, nervousness, pain, and bloating. Moderate study design 40 university students in intervention group and 37 in control group with PMS ## What they did 40 university students were randomly assigned to receive lavender oil aromatherapy by inhalation and 37 to a control group. Both groups were followed for 3 menstrual cycles. The intervention group used lavender oil inhalation approximately 5 times per cycle. ## What they found PMS scores showed a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups when compared over the 3-cycle follow-up (p<0.05). There were significant differences in PMS scale scores and subscales for anxiety, depressive affect, nervousness, pain, bloating, and depressive thoughts when comparing pre-test to the 3rd follow-up (p<0.05). ## What it means for you Inhaling lavender oil appears to reduce multiple PMS symptoms, particularly anxiety, depression, nervousness, pain, and bloating. However, this study was conducted in university students, so results may not apply to all women with PMS. The intervention group sample size was also relatively small at 40 students. 40 students in intervention group 37 students in control group 3 menstrual cycles of follow-up ## About the study Original title Effect of aromatherapy on coping with premenstrual syndrome: A randomized controlled trial Authors Uzunçakmak T, Ayaz Alkaya S Journal Complementary therapies in medicine Year 2018 Study design Randomised trial Participants 40 What was tested Inhalation aromatherapy with lavender oil (approximately 5 times per cycle) versus control Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2017.11.022](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2017.11.022) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Other herbal medicine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-herbal-other/)[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 Survey study, 2024 How common is dysmenorrhea related to PMS in university students, and how do they treat it? Randomised trial, 2026 Does Kundalini Reiki help reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life? Systematic review, 2008 What treatments work best for PMS and PMDD? Survey study, 2026 What dietary, lifestyle, and psychological factors are associated with PMS in young women? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗