---
title: Does pilates exercise reduce PMS symptoms? | Niyora
description: Pilates exercise appeared to reduce PMS symptoms in this study, but the evidence is weak because the study was small and women were not randomly assigned to g
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effect-of-pilates-exercises-on-premenstrual-syndrome-symptoms-a-quasi-2021/
---

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- Does pilates exercise reduce PMS symptoms?

Non-randomised trial, 2021

# Does pilates exercise reduce PMS symptoms?

Pilates exercise appeared to reduce PMS symptoms in this study, but the evidence is weak because the study was small and women were not randomly assigned to groups.

 Early or limited evidence

50 university students in Turkey with PMS (25 per group)

## What they did

Researchers divided 50 university students with PMS into two groups of 25. One group practiced pilates exercises for 3 months, and the control group continued their usual habits. PMS symptoms were measured at the start and end using a standard scale.

## What they found

At the start, both groups had similar PMS symptom scores. After 3 months, the pilates group had significantly lower scores than the control group. Within the pilates group, symptom scores dropped significantly from beginning to end (p less than 0.001).

## What it means for you

Pilates may help reduce PMS symptoms. However, this is a small study and women were not randomly assigned to groups, making it harder to be confident in the results. A larger randomized study would provide stronger evidence.

50

Total sample size (25 exercise, 25 control)

3

Duration of pilates training (months)

p<0.001

Pilates group improvement significance

## About the study

Original title Effect of pilates exercises on premenstrual syndrome symptoms: a quasi-experimental study Authors Çitil ET, Kaya N Journal Complementary therapies in medicine Year 2021 Study design Non-randomised trial Participants 286 What was tested Pilates exercises for 3 months Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102623](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102623)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)

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