Well Woman Blog

According to a new study, women who experienced high stress 2 weeks prior to their menstrual period are two to three times more likely to have a bad premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Such women experience depression, sadness, and crying spells as well as physical PMS symptoms such as body aches, bloating, low back pain, cramps, and headache worse than women who did not feel stressed early on in their cycles.

Study researcher Audra L. Gollenberg, PhD., said:

"Stress early in the cycle is a risk factor for PMS, and combating stress with yoga, exercise, biofeedback, or meditation may help prevent PMS symptoms or make them much more manageable. The symptoms may not go away completely, but stress-reduction techniques could make symptoms more manageable to the point that some women may not need medication."

So we women should indeed stay away from stress early in our cycles. Findings were reported in the Journal of Women's Health.

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