--- title: Do diet, exercise, and stress affect menstrual cycle problems? description: Yes. Women with poor diet, lack of exercise, and high stress had more menstrual problems. But this study is observational so we cannot prove these factors cau url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effect-of-diet-physical-activity-and-psychosocial-factors-on-menstrual-cycle-2021/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do diet, exercise, and stress affect menstrual cycle problems? Survey study, 2021 # Do diet, exercise, and stress affect menstrual cycle problems? Yes. Women with poor diet, lack of exercise, and high stress had more menstrual problems. But this study is observational so we cannot prove these factors cause the problems. Early or limited evidence 300 women aged 18-26 in college in Karad, Maharashtra, India ## What they did Cross-sectional survey of 300 women aged 18-26 using questionnaires about diet, physical activity, and stress. ## What they found Altered diet (67% of 300 women) linked to heavy menstrual bleeding (73% with altered diet, P<0.0001) and irregular periods (63% with altered diet, P<0.0001). Limited physical activity (61% of 300) linked to period pain (94% with limited activity, P<0.0001) and heavy bleeding (78% with limited activity). High stress levels (81% of 300) linked to irregular periods (71%) and premenstrual symptoms (93%). ## What it means for you Poor diet, lack of exercise, and high stress may be linked to menstrual problems. But this is observational so we cannot prove these factors cause the problems. The study was a cross-sectional snapshot. 67% Had altered diet 61% Had limited physical activity 81% Had high stress ## About the study Original title Effect of Diet, Physical Activity, and Psychosocial Factors, on Menstrual Cycle Abnormalities in College Students of Karad, Maharashtra, India Authors Divya Sachin Gupta, Neha Anandrao Jadhav, Suraj Bhimarao Kanase Journal Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences Year 2021 Study design Survey study Participants 300 What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.14260/jemds/2021/224](https://doi.org/10.14260/jemds/2021/224) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)[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 Cohort study, 2026 Are diet and lifestyle linked to premenstrual symptoms in college students? Cohort study, 2026 Are stress, physical activity, and diet linked to premenstrual symptoms? Cohort study, 2019 How do exercise, diet and weight affect menstrual problems? Survey study, 2025 How common are period pain and PMS in Spanish university students, and do lifestyle choices affect them? Survey study, 2025 How common are menstrual problems in medical students and what causes them? Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗