The effects of yoga and progressive muscle relaxation exercises on premenstrual syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

In this study, university students with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were evaluated for their responses to the practices of yoga and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) to combat PMS, and the depression, anxiety, and stress associated with it. A total of 68 students participated in a randomized controlled trial. They were divided into four parallel groups: a yoga intervention group (n = 17), a PMR intervention group (n = 17), a yoga and PMR intervention group (n = 17), and a control group (n = 17). Data were collected between April 2022 and June 2022, from students who practiced only yoga, who practiced only PMR, and who practiced both yoga and PMR. A Personal Information Form, the PMS Scale, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale were used as measurement tools. The yoga and yoga + PMR groups had lower scores for the PMS Scale in the posttest than the other groups (p < .05). Depression, anxiety, and stress sub-dimension mean scores were lower in the yoga, PMR + yoga, and PMR groups compared to the control group (p < .05). The results suggest that yoga and PMR interventions are beneficial non-pharmacological treatments for PMS, depression, anxiety, and stress.