Survey study, 2024
Do health habits like exercise and sleep affect PMS and period pain?
Yes. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and an active sex life reduced dysmenorrhea and PMS symptoms, while oversleeping, poor diet, and low activity increased symptoms. The study is large but observational, so we can't prove these habits cause the improvements.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 1,679 women aged 18 or older in Mexico who completed a validated survey about dysmenorrhea, PMS symptoms, and health habits (physical activity, sleep, diet, sexual activity).
What they found
Physical activity duration, adequate sleep hours, and active sexual life predicted lower dysmenorrhea and PMS. Oversleeping, low physical activity, and eating more salty or sugary foods during menstruation predicted higher dysmenorrhea and PMS.
What it means for you
The study shows associations between health habits and symptoms, but can't prove that changing habits will improve symptoms in a specific woman because it's observational. Results are from Mexico, so they may not apply to all populations. These findings warrant investigation through proper clinical trials.
1,679
Women surveyed in Mexico
≥18 years
Minimum age of participants
About the study
- Original title
- Dysmenorrhea and Premenstrual Syndrome in Association with Health Habits in the Mexican Population: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Authors
- Alatorre-Cruz JM, Alatorre-Cruz GC, Marín-Cevada V et al.
- Journal
- Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 1,679
- What was tested
- Health habits (physical activity, sleep, diet, sexual activity)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12212174
Original abstract
Background: Dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are common disorders in the Mexican population, but these are usually underdiagnosed and under-treated, impacting women's quality of life. Adequate health habits have been reported as precursors of decreasing dysmenorrhea symptoms. However, few studies assess their impact on PMS. Aim: This study aims to evaluate dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome in association with health habits in the Mexican population. Methods: To assess the impact of health habits on menstruation symptoms a validated survey was conducted in 1679 adult females aged ≥18 years. The survey collected data on participants' dysmenorrhea, PMS, and their health habits. Results: The analysis showed that physical activity duration, changes in eating habits (increases in salty or sugary foods) during menstruation, and oversleeping habits predict increases in dysmenorrhea and PMS. In contrast, an active sexual life, relaxing physical activity, and adequate sleep hours during menstruation seem to decrease the symptoms. Conclusions: We conclude that adequate health habits and addressing early gynecological conditions might regulate dysmenorrhea and PMS.
Reproduced under CC-BY.
Topics
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