Conditioning exercise decreases premenstrual symptoms: a prospective, controlled 6-month trial

Jerilynn C. Prior; Yvette Vigna; Danielle Sciarretta; Nenita Alojado; Michael Schulzer

doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(16)59045-1

Lifestyle and Environment Physical Activity

Conditioning exercise decreases premenstrual symptoms: a prospective, controlled 6-month trial

Prior JC, Vigna Y, Sciarretta D, Alojado N, Schulzer M

Published March 1987 Fertility and Sterility, 47(3), 402-408

DOI 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)59045-1 PMID 3549364

RRM Academy Synopsis

Six months of running was linked to fewer premenstrual symptoms

Women who trained by running for six months reported fewer premenstrual symptoms in a small controlled trial of volunteers. Eight women who began as nonrunners reported less breast tenderness, bloating and stress. Seven marathon trainees reported less bloating and depression. Six women with steady activity reported no change.

Key Findings

The trial followed 8 sedentary women who began running, 7 marathon trainees, and 6 normally active women who held their activity steady, for 6 months.
The 8 sedentary women reported less breast tenderness (P = 0.005), less fluid retention (P = 0.01), and less personal stress (P = 0.025).
The 7 marathon trainees reported less fluid retention (P = 0.034) and less depression (P = 0.014). Anxiety tended to decrease (P = 0.087).
The 6 nontraining women had no change in premenstrual symptoms over the 6 months.
Weight stayed steady in both training groups, and the sedentary women's midluteal hormone levels were unchanged.

Interpretation

This controlled trial followed three groups of women for six months. The sedentary women served as their own controls. Running training was linked with fewer luteal-phase symptoms. Luteal phase length shortened in both training groups, and body weight and midluteal hormone levels stayed steady. The authors note that hormone changes could have gone undetected, given the sample size and how often hormones were measured. The findings support larger studies of exercise training as a way to ease premenstrual symptoms.

RRM Context

The authors cite earlier work. It shows that symptoms like breast tenderness and low mood are normal parts of ovulatory cycles. Fertility awareness charting tracks body temperature. A woman can read her symptoms against her own ovulation. Restorative reproductive medicine looks for the root cause of symptoms like these.

Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.

Abstract

Six months of exercise training was associated with decreased premenstrual symptoms in two groups of women. There was no change in symptoms in nontraining women. Eight sedentary (ST) women increased running from 0 to 76 +/- 26 km/cycle (mean +/- standard deviation) over 6 months and seven runners (MT) trained for a marathon (42.2 km). Six normally active, nontraining (C-NT) women kept their activity constant. Each subject completed monthly intensity-graded questionnaires or kept daily symptoms diaries concerning premenstrual symptoms. All monitored basal body temperature, weight, and exercise. Gonadal steroids were measured in ST women. For ST subjects, breast (P = 0.005), fluid (P = 0.01), and personal stress (P = 0.025) decreased. MT women experienced decreased fluid (P = 0.034) and depression (P = 0.014). Anxiety tended to decrease (P = 0.087). ST and MT subjects experienced decreases in premenstrual symptoms without documented hormonal, menstrual cycle, or weight changes. These symptom changes appear to be the earliest evidence of the effects of conditioning exercise on the reproductive system.

Topics

Lifestyle and Environment › Physical Activity › Exercise and Ovulation · Menstrual Cycle › Premenstrual Disorders › Premenstrual Syndrome Treatment

Jerilynn C. Prior, Yvette Vigna, Danielle Sciarretta, Nenita Alojado, Michael Schulzer

J Prior, Y Vigna, D Sciarretta, N Alojado, Mike Schulzer, M Schulzer

PMID 3549364 3549364 DOI 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)59045-1 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)59045-1 Prior et al. 1987, Prior 1987

Keywords

Adult, Clinical Trials As Topic, Exercise Therapy, Female, Humans, Premenstrual Syndrome/prevention & Control, Prospective Studies

Conditioning exercise decreases premenstrual symptoms: a prospective, controlled 6-month trial

Six months of running was linked to fewer premenstrual symptoms

Key Findings

Interpretation

RRM Context

Abstract

Topics

By this author

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Keywords