Premenstrual symptoms are relieved by massage therapy

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychosomatic Medicine
• Women's Health

Background:

• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PDD) significantly impacts women's quality of life.
• Effective and accessible treatments for PDD are needed.
• Current management often involves pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of massage therapy as an adjunct treatment for PDD.
• To compare massage therapy with relaxation therapy for symptom relief.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-four women diagnosed with PDD were randomized into two groups: massage therapy and relaxation therapy.
• Symptom assessments were conducted immediately after initial and final sessions, and over a 5-week period.
• Outcome measures included anxiety, depressed mood, pain, water retention, activity level, and overall menstrual distress.

Main Results:

• Massage therapy led to immediate reductions in anxiety, depressed mood, and pain.
• Over five weeks, massage therapy significantly decreased pain, water retention, and overall menstrual distress.
• No significant long-term improvements were observed in activity levels or mood in the massage group.

Conclusions:

• Massage therapy demonstrates potential as an effective adjunctive treatment for managing severe premenstrual symptoms.
• Further research with longer massage therapy programs is warranted to explore sustained effects on mood and activity.
• Massage therapy offers a non-pharmacological approach to alleviate physical and emotional distress associated with PDD.