--- title: How common are premenstrual symptoms in female workers, and does exercise help? description: Fatigue (24%), backache (21.2%), and abdominal bloating (17.4%) were the most common symptoms. Women who exercised regularly reported significantly fewer back url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-prevalence-of-self-reported-premenstrual-symptoms-and-evaluation-of-regular-2018/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How common are premenstrual symptoms in female workers, and does exercise help? Survey study, 2018 # How common are premenstrual symptoms in female workers, and does exercise help? Fatigue (24%), backache (21.2%), and abdominal bloating (17.4%) were the most common symptoms. Women who exercised regularly reported significantly fewer backaches, less irritability, depression, and less crying. Moderate study design 7,193 female employees aged 18-55 in Taiwan ## What they did Cross-sectional study of 7,193 female workers aged 18-55 at an electronics manufacturer in Taiwan between August and December 2014. Researchers collected information on symptoms, exercise habits, and menstrual history through surveys. ## What they found The most common premenstrual symptoms were fatigue (24%), backache (21.2%), and abdominal bloating (17.4%). Women who exercised regularly reported fewer backaches (adjusted odds ratio 0.79), somatic discomfort (0.78), headache (0.82), diarrhea (0.76), constipation (0.59), less irritability (0.78), feeling morose and depressed (0.75), crying (0.51), emotional lability (0.73), and decreased menstrual pain (0.85). ## What it means for you Regular exercise may help reduce premenstrual symptoms including pain and emotional changes. However, this study cannot prove that exercise causes the improvement, since women who feel better may be more likely to exercise. The study only included workers at one company in Taiwan, so results may not apply to all women. 7,193 women studied 24% reported fatigue as most common symptom 0.51 odds ratio for crying in exercisers vs non-exercisers ## About the study Original title The prevalence of self-reported premenstrual symptoms and evaluation of regular exercise with premenstrual symptoms among female employees in Taiwan Authors Tsai SY, Kuo FC, Kuo HC et al. Journal Women & health Year 2018 Study design Survey study Participants 7,193 What was tested Regular exercise (observed, not randomly assigned) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2017.1296056](https://doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2017.1296056) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Fatigue and energy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-fatigue/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/) 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, 2016 Does 12 weeks of yoga help premenstrual symptoms? Systematic review, 2025 Does digital healthcare help manage period pain and PMS? Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Survey study, 2026 Are menstrual characteristics linked to depression and anxiety in teenage girls? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does video-guided digital menstrual exercise reduce PMS and period pain in adolescent girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗