--- title: Does physical activity help reduce PMS symptoms? | Niyora description: Yes, there was a clear link between more exercise and less severe PMS symptoms. The improvement came both from exercise itself and partly from exercise reduci url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-mediating-role-of-anxiety-in-the-relationship-between-physical-activity-and-2025/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does physical activity help reduce PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2025 # Does physical activity help reduce PMS symptoms? Yes, there was a clear link between more exercise and less severe PMS symptoms. The improvement came both from exercise itself and partly from exercise reducing anxiety. Moderate study design 145 female university students in Iran ## What they did A cross-sectional survey of 145 female university students in Iran measured how much physical activity they did, their anxiety levels, and their PMS symptoms. The researchers looked at how these factors related to each other. ## What they found Women who were more physically active had less severe PMS symptoms. Women with lower anxiety also had less severe PMS symptoms. Physical activity was linked to reduced anxiety. Anxiety partly explained how physical activity helps PMS symptoms, meaning some of exercise's benefit came through reducing anxiety. ## What it means for you Exercise might help reduce PMS symptoms in two ways: directly and by helping women feel less anxious. The study only measured things at one point in time rather than tracking women over weeks or months, so it cannot prove that exercise causes the improvement. 145 female students surveyed ## About the study Original title The Mediating Role of Anxiety in the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Premenstrual Syndrome in Female Students Authors Pardis Rahimi, Hassan Abdi, Malake Nasery Fadafan Year 2025 Study design Survey study Participants 145 What was tested None; this was observational study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.61838/kman.jayps.4393](https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.jayps.4393) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[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 Survey study, 2026 Does physical activity reduce the effect of climate anxiety on PMS? Survey study, 2025 How common is PMS in high school girls, and which non-drug methods help reduce anxiety and stress? Survey study, 2020 What attitudes do teenage girls have about premenstrual syndrome, and what affects them? Randomised trial, 2026 Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS? Survey study, 2026 What dietary, lifestyle, and psychological factors are associated with PMS in young women? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗