Efficacy of an Online Yoga Module in Alleviating Premenstrual Symptoms of Working Women in India: A Nonrandomized...

Premenstrual symptoms, commonly referred to as PMS symptoms, pose difficulties for women in the workforce, impacting their efficiency and overall health. This research sought to explore if a short, online integrated yoga module, customized for working women, could help reduce PMS symptoms.

A group of 76 employed women (23 to 38 years) in Mumbai and Delhi, self-reporting premenstrual syndrome (PMS), were recruited through social media advertisements and split into two groups: The experimental group (n = 40) received yoga sessions for 12 weeks (five sessions per week), each lasting between 18 and 24 minutes; the other served as the control group (n = 36). The control group did not engage in any yoga activities. Both groups completed the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) questionnaire before and after the study. t-test statistics were used to evaluate the effects of the intervention on reported PMS symptoms.

The yoga group showed improvements in 11 of the 14 (Emotional, Behavioral, and Physical) PMS symptoms (P < 0.05) and four out of five functional impairment symptoms (P < 0.05) of the PSST after the intervention. Paired t-tests within the control group did not reveal any changes before and after the intervention.

Results highlight that the tailored 5 days a week online, integrated yoga module for working women significantly relieves most of the PMS symptoms and can be prescribed for the treatment of PMS for working women.