Exercise is linked to reductions in anxiety but not premenstrual syndrome in women with prospectively-assessed symptoms

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Abstract
Despite the widespread recommendation of exercise as a treatment for the premenstrual syndrome (PMS), empirical evaluations of the effectiveness of exercise are few and those outcome studies that have been published are vulnerable to serious criticisms. In the present investigation, 19 women who exercised regularly were compared with 20 sedentary women. PMS was measured prospectively, using the Modified Menstrual Distress Questionnaire, across the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Also, trait anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Analyses by χ2 showed that the proportion of women reporting PMS did not differ significantly between the exercise and sedentary groups. However, analysis of variance with post hoc tests showed that for women with PMS, involvement in exercise was linked to significantly reduced anxiety. These findings suggested that the widespread view of exercise as an effective treatment for PMS could stem predominantly from its anxiety-reducing effects.