Effect of meditation on premenstrual syndrome in female medical students
Harminder Kaur, Nimarpreet Kaur, Gangadhar Reddy Akula, Satyanath Reddy Kodidala
European Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine September 1, 2023 DOI: 10.15584/ejcem.2023.3.18 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study (no control group) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Clinically healthy female medical students suffering from premenstrual syndrome, selected using a premenstrual questionnaire |
| Intervention | Shavasana meditation |
| Duration | 4 weeks of daily Shavasana sessions; measurements taken before and on the last day of the intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | After four weeks of daily Shavasana meditation, resting systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and serum cortisol all fell significantly in women with premenstrual syndrome. The authors conclude that Shavasana is an effective treatment for premenstrual stress, though the uncontrolled design means the changes could reflect other factors. |
Abstract
Introduction and aim. A symptom complex of cyclic irritability, depression and lethargy is known as the premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Since ages women suffered from PMS. As varied as the etiology, innumerable treatment modalities have been put forward for PMS. Stress is accompanied most closely associated in PMS. Practicing yoga and meditation significantly important for PMS symptoms in reducing its symptoms and period crams as well. The present study aims the impact of meditation in people with PMS. The aim of the study was to see any effect of Shavasana (meditation) training on stress parameters in premenstrual syndrome in female medical students. Material and methods. The present study was approved by institutional ethical committee. Thirty clinically healthy female medical students who were suffering from PMS selected using a premenstrual questionnaire. The values of heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and serum cortisol were measured before meditation. Subjects were then taken through Shavasana (meditation) session for 4 weeks at the same time daily. On the last day of meditation session all above parameters were again recorded and the data was analyzed statistically. Results. The baseline values of all parameters in premeditation session compared to post meditation session. The basal SBP, DBP and HR of female medical students with PMS were significantly higher in pre meditation session than post meditation session with p value of SBP=0.0002, DBP=0.0001, HR<0.0001 respectively which indicated the presence of stress. Following a 4weeks of Shavasana meditation a significant fall in baseline SBP, DBP, HR and the serum Cortisol value was observed. Conclusion. These findings proves that Shavasana is an effective treatment modality to get rid of stress during premenstrual phase.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |