Survey study, 2011
Does mindfulness help with premenstrual symptoms?
Yes. Women who scored higher on mindfulness measures reported fewer premenstrual symptoms. Mindfulness also reduced how much negative attitudes about menstruation affected symptom reporting.
What they did
Researchers surveyed 127 women aged 18-26 and measured their mindfulness, attitudes toward menstruation, and how severe they reported premenstrual symptoms to be.
What they found
Higher mindfulness scores showed a clear relationship with lower premenstrual symptom reports. There was a clear relationship between negative attitudes about menstruation and more severe symptoms, but mindfulness appeared to buffer this effect, especially for water retention and anticipation of menstruation onset.
What it means for you
Mindfulness practices may help reduce premenstrual symptoms, particularly by reducing the impact of negative thoughts about menstruation. The main limits are that this was a small survey study, not an experiment, so we cannot say mindfulness definitely causes lower symptoms, and it only measured women in one narrow age range.
127
women studied
18-26
age range
About the study
- Original title
- Relationships Among Premenstrual Symptom Reports, Menstrual Attitudes, and Mindfulness
- Authors
- Lustyk MK, Gerrish WG, Douglas H et al.
- Journal
- Mindfulness
- Year
- 2011
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 127
- What was tested
- None; the study observed relationships between mindfulness, attitudes, and symptom reporting.
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s12671-011-0041-x
Topics
Related studies
Study, 2026
What coping strategies help women manage PMS symptoms?
Survey study, 2026
Does being kind to yourself help reduce how negative attitudes about menstruation worsen PMS symptoms?
Study, 1986
What progress have researchers made in understanding PMS?
Cohort study, 1999
What causes negative mood during menopause?
Systematic review, 2026
What types of talking therapy have been studied for PMS and PMDD?
Randomised trial, 2026
Does acceptance and commitment therapy help women with PMS manage emotions and unhelpful thoughts?