Effect of Yoga Exercise on Premenstrual Symptoms among Female Employees in Taiwan

Su-Ying Tsai, Su-Ying Tsai

Abstract

Yoga classes designed for women with premenstrual syndrome are available, but their efficacy is unclear. We investigated the effects of 12 weeks' yoga exercise (yoga intervention) on premenstrual symptoms in menstruating females in Taiwan. Sixty-four subjects completed the yoga intervention, and before and after the intervention filled out a structured self-report questionnaire about their demographics, personal lifestyle, menstrual status, baseline menstrual pain scores, premenstrual symptoms, and health-related quality of life. Of 64 subjects, 90.6% reported experiencing menstrual pain during menstruation. After the yoga intervention, subjects reported decreased use of analgesics during menstruation (p = 0.0290) and decreased moderate or severe effects of menstrual pain on work (p = 0.0011). The yoga exercise intervention was associated with the improvement of the scale of physical function (p = 0.0340) and bodily pain (p = 0.0087) of the SF-36, and significantly decreased abdominal swelling (p = 0.0011), breast tenderness (p = 0.0348), abdominal cramps (p = 0.0016), and cold sweats (p = 0.0143). Menstrual pain mitigation after yoga exercise correlated with improvement in six scales of the SF-36 (physical function, bodily pain, general health perception, vitality/energy, social function, mental health). Employers can educate female employees about the benefits of regular exercise such as yoga, which may decrease premenstrual distress and improve female employee health.

Keywords: female employee; premenstrual symptoms; yoga exercise, SF-36.

References

    1. Direkvand-Moghadam A., Sayehmiri K., Delpisheh A., Sattar K. Epidemiology of premenstrual syndrome (pms)—A systematic review and meta-analysis study. J. Clin. Diagn. Res. 2014;8:106–109.
    1. Rapkin A.J., Winer S.A. Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric dis-order: Quality of life and burden of illness. Expert Rev. Pharm. Outcomes Res. 2009;9:157–170.
    1. Heinemann L.A., Minh T.D., Heinemann K., Lindemann M., Filonenko A. Intercountry assessment of the impact of severe premenstrual disorders on work and daily activities. Health Care Women Int. 2012;33:109–124. doi: 10.1080/07399332.2011.610530.
    1. Kahyaoglu Sut H., Mestogullari E. Effect of premenstrual syndrome on work-related quality of life in Turkish nurses. Saf. Health Work. 2016;7:78–82. doi: 10.1016/j.shaw.2015.09.001.
    1. Qiao M., Zhang H., Liu H., Luo S., Wang T., Zhang J., Ji L. Prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in a population-based sample in China. Eur. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Reprod. Biol. 2012;162:83–86. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2012.01.017.
    1. Tschudin S., Bertea P.C., Zemp E. Prevalence and predictors of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in a population-based sample. Arch. Womens Ment. Health. 2010;13:485–494. doi: 10.1007/s00737-010-0165-3.
    1. Takeda T.I., Tasaka K., Sakata M., Murata Y. Prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in Japanese women. Arch. Womens Ment. Health. 2006;9:209–212. doi: 10.1007/s00737-006-0137-9.
    1. Baker F.C., Kahan T.K., Trinder J., Colrain I.M. Sleep quality and the sleep electroencephalogram in women with severe premenstrual syndrome. Sleep. 2007;30:1283–1291.
    1. Futterman L.A., Rapkin A.J. Diagnosis of premenstrual disorders. J. Reprod. Med. 2006;51:349–358.
    1. Reed S.C., Levin F.R., Evans S.M. Changes in mood, cognitive performance and appetite in the late luteal and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle in women with and without PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) Horm. Behav. 2008;54:185–193. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2008.02.018.
    1. Cheng S.H., Shih C.C., Yang Y.K., Chen K.T., Chang Y.H., Yang Y.C. Factors associated with premenstrual syndrome—A survey of new female university students. Kaohsiung J. Med. Sci. 2013;29:100–105. doi: 10.1016/j.kjms.2012.08.017.
    1. Borenstein J.E., Dean B.B., Leifke E., Korner P., Yonkers K.A. Differences in symptom scores and health outcomes in premenstrual syndrome. J. Womens Health. 2007;16:1139–1144. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2006.0230.
    1. Farrokh-Eslamlou H., Oshnouei S., Heshmatian B., Akbari E. Premenstrual syndrome and quality of life in Iranian medical students. Sex. Reprod. Healthc. 2015;6:23–27. doi: 10.1016/j.srhc.2014.06.009.
    1. Bertone-Johnson E.R., Hankinson S.E., Johnson S.R., Manson J.E. Cigarette smoking and the development of premenstrual syndrome. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2008;168:938–945. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwn194.
    1. Masho S.W., Adera T., South-Paul J. Obesity as a risk factor for premenstrual syndrome. J. Psychosom. Obstet. Gynaecol. 2005;26:33–39. doi: 10.1080/01443610400023049.
    1. Potter J., Bouyer J., Trussell J., Moreau C. Premenstrual syndrome prevalence and fluctuation over time: Results from a French population-based survey. J. Womens Health. 2009;18:31–39. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2008.0932.
    1. Rani M., Singh U., Agrawal G.G., Natu S.M., Kala S., Ghildiyal A., Srivastava N. Impact of Yoga Nidra on menstrual abnormalities in females of reproductive age. J. Altern. Complement. Med. 2013;9:925–299. doi: 10.1089/acm.2010.0676.
    1. Rakhshaee Z. Effect of three yoga poses (cobra, cat and fish poses) in women with primary dysmenorrhea: A randomized clinical trial. J. Pediatr. Adolesc. Gynecol. 2011;24:192–196. doi: 10.1016/j.jpag.2011.01.059.
    1. Chien L.W., Chang H.C., Liu C.F. Effect of yoga on serum homocysteine and nitric oxide levels in adolescent women with and without dysmenorrhea. J. Altern. Complement. Med. 2013;19:20–23. doi: 10.1089/acm.2011.0113.
    1. Sakuma Y., Sasaki-Otomaru A., Ishida S., Kanoya Y., Arakawa C., Mochizuki Y., Seiishi Y., Sato C. Effect of a home-based simple yoga program in child-care workers: A randomized controlled trial. J. Altern. Complement. Med. 2012;18:769–776. doi: 10.1089/acm.2011.0080.
    1. Ware J.E., Sherbourne C.D. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Med. Care. 1992;30:473–483. doi: 10.1097/00005650-199206000-00002.
    1. Tsai S.Y., Chou P., Chi L.Y., Lee C.H. Health-related quality of life as a predictor of mortality among community-dwelling older persons. Eur. J. Epidemiol. 2007;22:19–26. doi: 10.1007/s10654-006-9092-z.
    1. Borenstein J., Chiou C.F., Dean B., Wong J., Wade S. Estimating direct and indirect costs of premenstrual syndrome. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2005;47:26–33.
    1. Samadi Z., Taghian F., Valiani M. The effects of 8 weeks of regular aerobic exercise on the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome in non-athlete girls. Iran. J. Nurs. Midwifery Res. 2013;18:14–19.
    1. Wu W.L., Lin T.Y., Chu I.H., Liang J.M. The acute effects of yoga on cognitive measures for women with premenstrual syndrome. J. Altern. Complement. Med. 2015;21:364–369. doi: 10.1089/acm.2015.0070.
    1. Desai R., Tailor A., Bhatt T. Effects of yoga on brain waves and structural activation: A review. Complement. Ther. Clin. Pract. 2015;21:112–118. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2015.02.002.
    1. Riley K.E., Park C.L. How does yoga reduce stress? A systematic review of mechanisms of change and guide to future inquiry. Health Psychol. Rev. 2015;9:379–396. doi: 10.1080/17437199.2014.981778.
    1. Wren A.A., Wright M.A., Carson J.W., Keefe F.J. Yoga for persistent pain: New findings and directions for an ancient practice. Pain. 2011;152:477–480. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2010.11.017.

Source: PubMed

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

3
Subscribe