--- title: Does practicing yoga reduce premenstrual syndrome and period pain? description: In this small study, women who practiced yoga experienced clear reductions in period pain intensity, pain duration, and premenstrual syndrome scores. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-syndrome-and-dysmenorrhea-status-before-and-after-practicing-yoga-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does practicing yoga reduce premenstrual syndrome and period pain? Interview study, 2022 # Does practicing yoga reduce premenstrual syndrome and period pain? In this small study, women who practiced yoga experienced clear reductions in period pain intensity, pain duration, and premenstrual syndrome scores. Early or limited evidence 41 women of reproductive age living in Kathmandu valley, Nepal. ## What they did 41 women of reproductive age in Kathmandu, Nepal practiced yoga including Surya Namaskar, Surya Kriya, and Shambhavi Mahamudra. They reported their period pain and premenstrual syndrome scores before and after practicing yoga. ## What they found Pain intensity scores decreased from about 6.46 to 3.71. Period pain duration decreased from 6 hours to 2.5 hours. Premenstrual syndrome scores decreased from about 104.73 to 74.24. Women also reported in interviews that yoga may help with irregular menstrual cycles and polycystic ovarian syndrome. ## What it means for you Yoga appears to help reduce period pain and premenstrual symptoms in this group. However, the sample is very small and there was no comparison group of women not practicing yoga, so we cannot be certain yoga caused the improvement rather than something else. 41 women studied 6.46 to 3.71 pain intensity before and after 6 to 2.5 hours pain duration before and after ## About the study Original title Premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea status before and after practicing yoga among selected women of reproductive age group living in Kathmandu valley: a mixed method study Authors Prakash KC, Shital Bhandary Journal Journal of General Practice and Emergency Medicine of Nepal Year 2022 Study design Interview study Participants 41 What was tested Practicing yoga (Surya Namaskar, Surya Kriya, Shambhavi Mahamudra). Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.59284/jgpeman13](https://doi.org/10.59284/jgpeman13) Original abstract Introduction: Premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea are most common gynecological disorders associated with reduced quality of life among women of reproductive age. This study aims to compare the premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea before and after practice of yoga among women of reproductive age living in Kathmandu, Nepal. Surya Namaskar, Surya Kriya and Shambhavi Mahamudra were common yoga types practiced by participants. Method: A retrospective pre-post study with concurrent mixed method design was used. Study respondents were 41 women of reproductive age. Numeric pain rating scale and Premenstrual syndrome scale were used for quantitative data collection. Interview guide was used for the qualitative data collection. Google form was used for quantitative data whereas telephone was used for an in-depth interview. R-4.2.1 software was used for the quantitative data analysis. Qualitative data was analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s 6-steps thematic analysis in RQDA 0.3.8.1 package of R software. Qualitative findings were triangulated with quantitative findings to determine convergent, divergent and expansive findings. Result: All outcome variables pain intensity score (Baseline: 6.46±2.31, Endline: 3.71±2.24, p<0.0001), pain duration in hour (Baseline: 6, Endline 2.5, p<0.0001) and premenstrual syndrome score (Baseline: 104.73±33.28, Endline: 74.24±22.08, p<0.0001) were significantly different after practice of yoga as compared to before yoga practice. Qualitative findings supported the quantitative result and presented expansive finding as yoga may be beneficial for management of irregular menstrual cycles and polycystic ovarian syndrome as well. Conclusion: The study suggests yoga may help in alleviating premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-pcos/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/) 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 Systematic review, 2010 Does acupuncture treat premenstrual syndrome? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does video-guided digital menstrual exercise reduce PMS and period pain in adolescent girls? Survey study, 2018 How common are premenstrual symptoms in female workers, and does exercise help? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Can yoga reduce PMS pain in teenage girls? Survey study, 2016 Does 12 weeks of yoga help premenstrual symptoms? Survey study, 2015 How common is physical stress and pain during the menstrual cycle? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗