--- title: Does acupressure at specific points reduce PMS symptoms? | Niyora description: Yes, acupressure at points LIV3 and LI4 for 14 days before menstruation reduced PMS symptoms, anxiety, and depression, and improved quality of life compared t url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-effect-of-applying-pressure-to-the-liv3-and-li4-on-the-symptoms-of-2017/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does acupressure at specific points reduce PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2017 # Does acupressure at specific points reduce PMS symptoms? Yes, acupressure at points LIV3 and LI4 for 14 days before menstruation reduced PMS symptoms, anxiety, and depression, and improved quality of life compared to placebo acupressure. Moderate study design 97 university students with PMS in Iran ## What they did Randomized single-blind trial. 97 university students with PMS received 20 minutes of acupressure on either points LIV3 and LI4 or placebo points for 14 days before menstruation. This was done for 3 consecutive menstrual cycles, with training in cycle 1 and self-application in cycles 2-3. ## What they found By the 2nd and 3rd cycles, women in the LIV3 and LI4 groups had significantly lower PMS severity, depression and anxiety scores, and significantly improved quality of life compared to placebo. LIV3 and LI4 were equally effective. ## What it means for you Acupressure at these specific points may help reduce PMS symptoms and improve mood and quality of life. However, this requires knowledge of acupressure points, and the study was relatively small and only tested students in Iran. 20 min Session duration 14 days Before menstruation 3 cycles Total duration ## About the study Original title The effect of applying pressure to the LIV3 and LI4 on the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome: A randomized clinical trial Authors Bazarganipour F, Taghavi SA, Allan H et al. Journal Complementary therapies in medicine Year 2017 Study design Randomised trial Participants 97 What was tested Acupressure at LIV3 and LI4 points, 20 minutes for 14 days before menstruation Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2017.02.003](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2017.02.003) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Acupuncture and acupressure](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-acupuncture/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[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. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2026 Does Kundalini Reiki help reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Randomised trial, 2024 Can stress inoculation training reduce anxiety, depression, and stress in students with PMS? Survey study, 2026 How common is premenstrual tension and does it affect university students' studies? Non-randomised trial, 2025 Does aerobic exercise reduce anxiety and depression in students with PMS? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗