---
title: Does regular physical activity help PMS symptoms? | Niyora
description: Regular physical activity helped reduce some PMS symptoms like headaches, palpitations, and moodiness, but did not help with other symptoms. This was not a co
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-effect-of-regular-physical-activity-on-premenstrual-syndrome-pms-symptoms-2002/
---

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- Does regular physical activity help PMS symptoms?

Survey study, 2002

# Does regular physical activity help PMS symptoms?

Regular physical activity helped reduce some PMS symptoms like headaches, palpitations, and moodiness, but did not help with other symptoms. This was not a controlled study, so we cannot be certain exercise caused the improvement.

 Early or limited evidence

151 exercising women from gyms in Rio de Janeiro and 169 non-exercising women from a university

## What they did

151 women who exercised regularly at health clubs and gyms and 169 women who did not exercise completed a questionnaire about their PMS symptoms and physical activity habits.

## What they found

Both groups had similar rates of symptoms (88 percent). Exercising women had less intense headaches (p=0.025), fewer palpitations (p=0.022), and less moodiness (p=0.038) than non-exercising women. Physical activity did not affect other symptoms.

## What it means for you

Exercise helped a few specific PMS symptoms but not all. The study was cross-sectional, meaning it could not prove that exercise caused the improvement. It only included women from Rio de Janeiro.

151

exercising women

169

non-exercising women

88%

both groups with PMS symptoms

## About the study

Original title THE EFFECT OF REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS) SYMPTOMS Authors A M.F. Miragaya, Paulo Sérgio Chagas Gomes Journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise Year 2002 Study design Survey study Participants 151 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200205001-00663](https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200205001-00663)

## 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.

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