In this article, we will discuss menstrual cramps and exercise.
Menstrual cramps can be divided into two types: functional and organic.
In general, people who say they have menstrual cramps can be considered to have functional dysmenorrhea (primary dysmenorrhea), which is thought to be caused by the shape of the uterus itself (e.g. narrow cervix), not by any organ disease.
The review presented here evaluates exercise for primary dysmenorrhea, and depending on the frequency and intensity of exercise, it may reduce pain. That's the one.This does not apply to organic pain, so please take this into consideration.
Contents of the study
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise in women with menstrual pain and to compare exercise with recommended oral medications.
The study will be a review of 12 studies involving 854 women.
We included 10 trials with 754 women in the meta-analysis because two trials did not report data suitable for inclusion in the meta-analysis.Eleven trials compared exercise with no treatment, and one compared exercise with an NSAID.
The results showed that exercise, whether low intensity like yoga or high intensity like aerobics, can significantly reduce the intensity of menstrual pain compared to doing nothing.This pain reduction could be important for women with menstrual cramps, as it is more than twice the minimal amount of pain reduction that might be needed to notice a difference.
Most studies asked women to exercise at least three times a week, for about 45-60 minutes each time.It is unclear if they exercise less frequently or if shorter exercise sessions would yield the same results.
Exercise should be done regularly throughout the month, and some studies have asked women not to exercise during their menstrual periods.
Evidence on the safety of exercise has not been well reported, so no conclusions can be drawn.Other outcomes, such as effects on overall menstrual symptoms and overall quality of life, have not been well reported, and the evidence is of very low quality, so we do not know if exercise affects these outcomes.
There are no studies reporting on rates of missing work or school or limitations in daily activities.
There is not enough evidence to determine if there is a benefit of exercise when compared to NSAIDs, a class of medications commonly used to treat the intensity of menstrual pain, the need for additional pain medication, or absence from (e.g. ibuprofen).In addition, there are no studies reporting on quality of life or limitations in daily living.
Armour M, Ee CC, Naidoo D, Ayati Z, Chalmers KJ, Steel KA, de Manincor MJ, Delshad E. Exercise for dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019, Issue 9. art. no.: CD004142. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004142.pub4.
Conclusion
It has been shown that exercise may be helpful in reducing pain, and on the pain scale, the reduction was about 20~30/100 points.
Although 45-60 minutes of exercise three times a week may be difficult for busy people to devote time to, there is also the point that the intensity of exercise can be low.The good thing is that you don't have to sweat it out at the gym, so you can potentially get results even if you are doing yoga at home.
As a supplement, as for how to take oral medication, many people take it after the pain occurs, but it is actually better to take it beforehand on days when pain is likely to occur.It is said that this is because of the relationship between hormones and uterine contractions, so if you are not sure, it may be a good idea to consult your gynecologist.
