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Randomised trial, 2024

Do Pilates exercises help women with PMS manage emotions and stress?

Yes. Pilates exercises significantly improved emotion regulation and stress tolerance in women with PMS, with benefits lasting at follow-up.

Moderate study design 30 female university students with PMS

What they did

Thirty female university students with PMS were randomly assigned to either a Pilates group or a control group. The Pilates group attended classes taught by a professional instructor at the university gymnasium. Emotion regulation and stress tolerance were measured for both groups at baseline, after the intervention, and at follow-up using standardized scales.

What they found

The Pilates group showed significant improvements in emotion regulation. Emotion suppression increased from 12 to 15.33 after intervention and 16.8 at follow-up. Emotion reappraisal increased from 22.4 to 26.26 to 26.06. Distress tolerance increased from 40.93 to 47.06 to 47 (all p less than or equal to 0.05).

What it means for you

Pilates may help women with PMS better manage emotions and tolerate stress, with improvements that persist over time. This is a small study from one university, so results may not apply broadly to all women with PMS.

30

female students with PMS

16.8

emotion suppression score at follow-up

47

distress tolerance score at follow-up

About the study

Original title
The Effectiveness of Pilates Exercises on Emotion Regulation and Distress Tolerance in Students with Premenstrual Syndrome
Authors
Azadeh Niroomand, کورش گودرزی, Mehdi Roozbahani et al.
Journal
Health and Development Journal
Year
2024
Study design
Randomised trial
Participants
30
What was tested
Pilates exercises taught by a professional instructor
Open access
Yes

Topics