Survey study, 2018
Does aerobic exercise reduce stress and premenstrual symptoms during the luteal phase?
Yes. Women who did aerobic exercise had lower stress levels and fewer menstrual symptoms than women who did not exercise.
What they did
This observational study included 60 female university students aged 20-24. Half (30) did regular aerobic exercise and half (30) did not. Researchers measured stress using a validated stress scale and tracked menstrual symptoms including pain and missed school days. They used basal body temperature to confirm the luteal phase.
What they found
Women in the exercise group had significantly lower stress scores than the non-exercise group. Women who exercised also had less bleeding between periods, less pain, and fewer missed school days due to menstrual symptoms.
What it means for you
Aerobic exercise may help reduce stress and ease premenstrual symptoms. The main limitations are that the study does not report how long women exercised or how many menstrual cycles they were tracked, so it is unclear whether benefits would persist long-term.
30
in exercise group
30
in control group
lower stress
exercise group had
About the study
- Original title
- Effect of moderate aerobic exercise on perceived stress during luteal phase of menstrual cycle in students pursuing professional course
- Authors
- Tanvi Pendse, Anuradha Rajiv Joshi, Savita Vaidya
- Journal
- National Journal of Physiology Pharmacy and Pharmacology
- Year
- 2018
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 30
- What was tested
- Aerobic exercise vs. no exercise
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5455/njppp.2018.8.1146213122017
Topics
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