Efficacy of an Online Yoga Module in Alleviating Premenstrual Symptoms of Working Women in India: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial

Objectives: Premenstrual symptoms, commonly referred to as PMS symptoms, pose difficulties for women in the workforce, impacting their efficiency and overall health. This research sought to explore if a short, online integrated yoga module, customized for working women, could help reduce PMS symptoms. Materials and Methods: A group of 76 employed women (23 to 38 years) in Mumbai and Delhi, self-reporting premenstrual syndrome (PMS), were recruited through social media advertisements and split into two groups: The experimental group (n = 40) received yoga sessions for 12 weeks (five sessions per week), each lasting between 18 and 24 minutes; the other served as the control group (n = 36). The control group did not engage in any yoga activities. Both groups completed the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) questionnaire before and after the study. t -test statistics were used to evaluate the effects of the intervention on reported PMS symptoms. Results: The yoga group showed improvements in 11 of the 14 (Emotional, Behavioral, and Physical) PMS symptoms ( P < 0.05) and four out of five functional impairment symptoms ( P < 0.05) of the PSST after the intervention. Paired t -tests within the control group did not reveal any changes before and after the intervention. Conclusion: Results highlight that the tailored 5 days a week online, integrated yoga module for working women significantly relieves most of the PMS symptoms and can be prescribed for the treatment of PMS for working women.