Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). Women hate it. Men fear it. Can the monthly monster be tamed by regular exercise? Studies indicate that women who are more physically active may be less troubled by premenstrual complaints.
Premenstrual syndrome is a name given to a collection of symptoms experienced by women during the interval after ovulation but before menstruation. The symptoms can include irritability, depression, tension, headaches, bloating, increased appetite, breast swelling and tenderness, lethargy, constipation and acne.
A number of possibilities have been considered as potential causes for PMS, including deficiencies in the vitamins A, B1, B6, and E, and minerals such as magnesium and zinc, allergies to one’s own hormones, impaired glucose metabolism, and psychological factors. Research has disproven many of these—for example, PMS has nothing to do with vitamin or mineral deficiencies. The most likely candidate is internal hormone imbalance.
A series of complicated hormonal changes occurs during the menstrual cycle. Three hormones in particular are involved—estrogen, progesterone, and endorphins. Estrogen and progesterone are female hormones released by the ovaries. Endorphins are ‘natural painkiller’ hormones release by the brain.
One theory is that the natural painkillers, the endorphins, decline during the period between ovulation and menstruation, decreasing any possible painkilling effect, and also increasing tension and other symptoms. Women suffering pre-menstrual syndrome have been shown to have lower levels of endorphins during the pre-menstrual phase than during the rest of the cycle. They have also been shown to have lower levels of endorphins than women not suffering from PMS.
Exercise affects the release of all three primary hormones involved in the menstrual cycle. It appears that exercise has the power to increase the release of estrogen, increase painkilling endorphins, and decrease the release of progesterone. Any of these changes, or possibly the combination of all three of them, can possibly be responsible for the decrease in PMS seen in more athletic women.
PMS symptoms have been demonstrated to decrease with exercise. Various studies have shown that premenstrual breast tenderness and fluid retention decreases within three months of taking up regular jogging; swimming and skiing has been shown to eliminate tension headaches; jogging and tennis have been effective in decreasing depression.
PMS responses to exercise are most likely highly variable. They will probably depend the type and severity of the symptoms, and the type, intensity, duration and frequency of exercise. Because of this, any attempt to prescribe exercise for PMS needs to be tailored to the individual. For example, premenstrual breast tenderness may rule out jogging for some women. For those women, swimming may be a better choice. Knee injuries also tend to occur more frequently just prior to menstruation, and that may also affect the choice of exercise.
Exercise can help with PMS in two ways. Firstly, a higher overall level of fitness may mitigate your potential for premenstrual syndrome symptoms. Secondly, If you can determine which exercises can minimize your symptoms, with the fewest side effects, you may be able to manage or even all but eliminate your PMS.
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