Yoga positively affected depression and blood pressure in women withpremenstrual syndrome in a randomized controlled clinical trial

Women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) often complain about depression when their menstrual cycle begins.This study investigated the effects of yoga on women with PMS suffering from depression during the menstrualcycle. This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted from April to October 2015 in Tabriz, Iran. Allsubjects (20–45 years old), who were often referred to the private obstetrics and gynecology clinics, wereinitially checked for PMS and depression. Subjects completed the demographic and Beck DepressionInventory-II (BDI-II) questionnaires before and after the intervention. In addition, subjects were checked for eligibleand ineligible criteria. In this study, 62 subjects were randomly selected for the yoga group and controlgroups. Subjects practiced yoga over two months in three sessions, the duration of each session was 60 minutes. The general score of the depression after yoga intervention was statistically significant compared to thecontrol group (P<0.036) and yoga group before intervention (P<0.001). The diastolic pressure decreasedsignificantly after yoga intervention (P<0.029). Yoga decreased the state of depression and a diastolic pressureof the subjects with PMS complaining from depression. We conclude that yoga has strong effects on depression symptoms and blood pressure, therefore itcan be used as a complementary or alternative remedy for PMS patients.

Keywords:

Yoga , Depression , Blood pressure , Women , Premenstrual syndrome