--- title: Does physical activity reduce PMS symptoms? | Niyora description: Physical activity did not reduce how often women had PMS. However, it did reduce the severity of anxiety, anger, migraines, and abdominal bloating. The study url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/investigation-of-prevalence-and-severity-of-premenstrual-syndrome-and-its-2017/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does physical activity reduce PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2017 # Does physical activity reduce PMS symptoms? Physical activity did not reduce how often women had PMS. However, it did reduce the severity of anxiety, anger, migraines, and abdominal bloating. The study cannot prove activity caused this because it was cross-sectional. Early or limited evidence 408 female students, mean age 21.77 years ## What they did Cross-sectional study of 408 female students. Researchers asked them about PMS symptoms and physical activity using standard questionnaires. ## What they found Of 408 students, 83.5% had PMS. Approximately 48% had weak physical activity, 41% moderate, and 11% severe. Physical activity did not significantly affect how often women had PMS (p=0.384). However, severity of anxiety (p=0.041), anger (p=0.012), migraine (p=0.018), and abdominal blotting (p=0.042) all decreased with more activity. ## What it means for you Exercise may not prevent PMS but might help reduce some symptoms. The study was cross-sectional, so we cannot prove activity caused improvement. Most students were sedentary or lightly active, which limits conclusions about more active women. 83.5% had PMS p=0.384 PMS frequency vs activity (not significant) p=0.041-0.042 anxiety, anger, migraine, bloating improved ## About the study Original title Investigation of prevalence and severity of premenstrual syndrome and its relationship with exercise among female students in Bushehr University of Medical Sciences Authors Fatemeh Najafi-Sharjabad, Fatemeh Borazjani, Zahra Avazzadeh Journal Pajouhan Scientific Journal Year 2017 Study design Survey study Participants 408 What was tested Measuring physical activity levels using questionnaire Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.21859/psj-15037](https://doi.org/10.21859/psj-15037) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Migraine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-migraine/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[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, 2019 What causes severe PMS in female college students with disabilities? Non-randomised trial, 2022 Is nutrition status linked to PMS, and does health education help? Survey study, 2020 What attitudes do teenage girls have about premenstrual syndrome, and what affects them? Survey study, 2026 Is academic stress linked to PMS severity in university students? Survey study, 2026 What factors most strongly drive PMS severity in female engineering students? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does a lifestyle education program reduce PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗