---
title: Does exercise improve menstrual symptoms? | Niyora
description: Yes. Women who did fitness exercises for 12 weeks had fewer physical and emotional symptoms before their period and much less painful periods.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/influence-of-a-physical-fitness-course-on-menstrual-cycle-characteristics-2008/
---

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- Does exercise improve menstrual symptoms?

Survey study, 2008

# Does exercise improve menstrual symptoms?

Yes. Women who did fitness exercises for 12 weeks had fewer physical and emotional symptoms before their period and much less painful periods.

 Early or limited evidence

250 university students in Iran

## What they did

250 university students in Iran did fitness exercises twice a week for 12 weeks. Each session lasted 90 minutes and included cardio, strength training, and agility work at moderate intensity. They filled out questionnaires about menstrual discomfort before and after the program.

## What they found

After 12 weeks, women reported fewer physical symptoms before their period, fewer emotional symptoms before their period, and significantly less severe period pain. There was no change in how many women had very few or no periods.

## What it means for you

Exercise may help reduce period symptoms, especially period pain. However, this was a small study with no control group of women who didn't exercise, so we can't be completely sure exercise alone caused the improvement.

250

Participants

12 weeks

Program duration

90 minutes

Session length

## About the study

Original title Influence of a physical fitness course on menstrual cycle characteristics Authors Jahromi MK, Gaeini A, Rahimi Z Journal Gynecological endocrinology : the official journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology Year 2008 Study design Survey study Participants 250 What was tested 12-week fitness program, twice per week, 90 minutes per session Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/09513590802342874](https://doi.org/10.1080/09513590802342874)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[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.

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