--- title: Do women who exercise have fewer PMS symptoms? | Niyora description: Yes. Women who exercise regularly experience better mood and fewer symptoms before and during their period compared to sedentary women. However, competitive a url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/symptom-changes-across-the-menstrual-cycle-in-competitive-sportswomen-exercisers-1995/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women who exercise have fewer PMS symptoms? Study, 1995 # Do women who exercise have fewer PMS symptoms? Yes. Women who exercise regularly experience better mood and fewer symptoms before and during their period compared to sedentary women. However, competitive athletes did not show this benefit. Moderate study design 143 women: 35 competitive athletes, 33 high exercisers, 36 low exercisers, 39 sedentary ## What they did Researchers tracked mood and physical symptoms in 143 women (35 competitive athletes, 33 high exercisers, 36 low exercisers, and 39 sedentary women) for five days during three different parts of the menstrual cycle: mid-cycle, premenstrual, and menstrual. ## What they found Mood and symptoms were worse during the premenstrual and menstrual phases compared to mid-cycle. High exercisers experienced the greatest positive mood and the least negative mood. Sedentary women experienced the least positive mood. The biggest differences between exercise groups appeared during the premenstrual and menstrual phases. Competitive athletes did not show these protective effects. ## What it means for you Regular, moderate exercise may help reduce mood changes and physical symptoms before and during the period. The study only tracked each cycle phase for five days, which is relatively short. It is unclear why competitive athletes were not protected, which suggests exercise type or intensity may matter. 143 total women tracked 5 days tracked in each cycle phase 35 competitive athletes ## About the study Original title Symptom changes across the menstrual cycle in competitive sportswomen, exercisers and sedentary women Authors Choi PY, Salmon P Journal The British journal of clinical psychology Year 1995 Study design Study Participants 143 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1995.tb01479.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1995.tb01479.x) ## 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/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Athletes and sport](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-athletes/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) 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 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how much physical activity women do? Survey study, 2022 Do female athletes get enough knowledge and support about their period? Survey study, 2022 Do menstrual cycles and birth control affect female athletes' training and performance? Systematic review, 2023 How common are menstrual cycle problems and PMS or PMDD in female athletes? Cohort study, 2026 Are diet and lifestyle linked to premenstrual symptoms in college students? Survey study, 2025 How common are PMS and painful periods among female medical students in Saudi Arabia, and what causes them? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗