Yoga Could Be Your Primary Relief Against Menstrual Cramps

Korean researchers find that yoga can now add menstrual pain to its long list of treatable conditions

Yoga is an ancient practice that involves both physical and mental aspects. fizkes/Shutterstock

Yoga, a common yet powerful practice, could dramatically ease or put an end to period pain according to a new study. Yoga not only floods your system with feel-good hormones and improves circulation, but also provides relief for common menstrual complaints, the researchers found.

Writing in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, a group of Korean scientists set out to see if yoga could be an effective complementary therapy for primary dysmenorrhea, which is cramping pain that occurs in the lower abdomen just before or during menstruation.

Yoga for Menstrual Pain

The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of four randomized controlled trials, including 230 women ages 20–33 who were experiencing menstrual cramps. Yoga sessions were done in various durations:

• 30-minute sessions twice a week for 12 weeks
• 120-minute sessions five times a week for 12 weeks
• Four sessions a week for four weeks
• 20-minute sessions a day for 14 days

In evaluating the effects of practicing yoga for menstrual pain, researchers found patients with menstrual cramps reported pain relief after the interventions. Yoga programs demonstrated a high effect on menstrual pain in primary dysmenorrhea, emerging as a helpful regimen to alleviate the pain that recurs every month for millions of women worldwide.