Does yoga reduce PMS symptoms and improve physical fitness in women?

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) negatively affects women's physical performance, emotional balance, and quality of life. Although pharmacological therapies exist, their side effects and limited effectiveness highlight the need for alternatives. This partially controlled, non-blinded, non-randomized prospective pilot study included 34 women aged 18-40 years and examined the effects of an eight-week structured yoga program. Participants met the same eligibility criteria and were comparable at baseline in age, sociodemographic characteristics, and PMS severity. The study group attended two weekly 90-min hatha yoga sessions and completed a 15-min daily home practice, while controls maintained their usual physical activity. Outcome measures included body composition, hip range of motion, spinal mobility (flexion and lateral flexion), and Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) scores. After eight weeks, the yoga group showed significant reductions in body weight and fat mass and an increase in muscle mass. Hip external rotation improved significantly among yoga participants, while changes in spinal mobility did not reach statistical significance. The intervention group showed a significant reduction in PMS symptom severity, while the control group showed no significant change. The findings suggest that regular yoga practice can enhance physical functioning and alleviate PMS-related symptoms, supporting its role as a movement-based approach for improving women's health.

Reproduced under CC-BY.