--- title: Does mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms? description: Yes. Mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy significantly reduced PMS symptoms immediately after treatment and the improvements lasted at least one mo url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-effect-of-mindfulness-based-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-on-premenstrual-2018/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Randomised trial, 2018 # Does mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Yes. Mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy significantly reduced PMS symptoms immediately after treatment and the improvements lasted at least one month. Moderate study design 40 university students with PMS in Ahvaz, Iran ## What they did Forty university students with PMS in Iran were randomly assigned to two groups of 20 each. The intervention group received eight 1-hour weekly sessions of mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy. The control group received no treatment. Symptoms were measured before treatment, immediately after, and one month later. ## What they found The therapy group's mean PMS symptom score dropped from 42 before treatment to 27.65 immediately after and 28.15 at one month follow-up. The control group did not improve significantly. The difference between groups was very significant (P < 0.001). ## What it means for you Mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy substantially reduced PMS symptoms over 8 weeks, with benefits lasting at least a month. The study was small and included only university students in Iran, so results may not apply to women in other settings or of other ages. 40 students total (20 per group) 8 weekly therapy sessions 27.65 mean symptom score after treatment (was 42 before) ## About the study Original title The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Premenstrual Syndrome Authors Saeedeh Askari, Nasser Behroozi, Zahra Abbaspoor Journal Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal Year 2018 Study design Randomised trial Participants 40 What was tested Eight 1-hour weekly sessions of mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.5812/ircmj.57538](https://doi.org/10.5812/ircmj.57538) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Cognitive behavioral therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-cbt/)[Mindfulness and meditation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-mindfulness/)[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, 2016 Does mindfulness-based cognitive therapy reduce PMS, depression and anxiety? Non-randomised trial, 2024 Does cognitive-behavioral or mindfulness stress management help reduce PMS in high school girls? Cohort study, 2017 Is acceptance therapy (ACT) more effective than other treatments for PMS? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Systematic review, 2026 What types of talking therapy have been studied for PMS and PMDD? Randomised trial, 2026 Which works better for PMDD: cognitive-behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗