--- title: Does regular exercise help or hurt PMS symptoms? | Niyora description: Regular exercise appears to help PMS. Studies since 1971 show women who exercise regularly have milder or no PMS, though overtraining might make it worse. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/relation-of-premenstrual-syndrome-pms-and-fitness-activities-2021/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does regular exercise help or hurt PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2021 # Does regular exercise help or hurt PMS symptoms? Regular exercise appears to help PMS. Studies since 1971 show women who exercise regularly have milder or no PMS, though overtraining might make it worse. Early or limited evidence Review of multiple studies spanning 1971 to present covering various populations ## What they did Analysis of published research studies from 1971 onward examining the relationship between fitness and PMS. The authors reviewed findings about how exercise affects PMS and discussed possible explanations. ## What they found Studies consistently show fitness is protective against PMS: women who exercise regularly have reduced or eliminated PMS problems. The review describes possible ways exercise helps. Other factors found together with fitness, like healthy weight and good diet, also help PMS. Interestingly, fitness might improve strength training performance during the menstrual cycle. However, some studies found overtraining can harm PMS. ## What it means for you Regular moderate exercise appears helpful for PMS. This is a review of previous research, not new original research, so strength depends on quality of original studies. The benefit may come partly from diet and weight rather than exercise alone. Extreme exercise could be harmful. Since 1971 studies analyzed Protective effect of fitness on PMS Negative effect possible with overtraining ## About the study Original title Relation of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and fitness activities Authors Alena Kajanová, Stanislav Ondrášek Journal Journal of Nursing Social Studies Public Health and Rehabilitation Year 2021 Study design Survey study What was tested Fitness and exercise activities (reviewed from existing research) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.32725/jnss.2021.004](https://doi.org/10.32725/jnss.2021.004) Original abstract The survey study focuses on the relation between the premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and fitness activities. The results of the analyzed studies (since the year 1971) point out the protective factor of fitness activities in relation to PMS - individual problems are mitigated or eliminated by regular exercise. The article describes the mechanisms of this effect and the intervening variables like ideal BMI or healthy diet, which also have impact on PMS, and which can be found more frequently in fitness women. PMS can also have positive effect on fitness performance in power training. On the contrary, there are studies pointing out the negative impact of exercise on PMS in case of overtraining. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/) 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 Do sleep, exercise, and diet quality affect period pain, heavy bleeding, and PMS in midlife? Randomised trial, 2026 Does yoga or Pilates help reduce PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2026 Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS? Systematic review, 2026 Do mindfulness and relaxation techniques help with PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2026 Does yoga reduce PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2025 Does caloric restriction and aerobic exercise improve PMS symptoms in obese women? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗