Eight-Week Minimal Dose Training Reduces Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms but Does Not Influence Coping Strategies: A Nonrandomized Study.

Abstract

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a set of symptoms related to hormonal changes occurring during the premenstrual period. Effective coping strategies for managing PMS have not been clearly established, and it remains unclear whether these strategies are modified by physical activity. Exercise may reduce PMS symptoms; however, the minimum effective exercise dose remains unknown. This study aimed to analyze the effects of an 8-week minimum-dose exercise protocol on psychological PMS symptoms and coping strategies. Thirty-three university students with PMS were assigned to two groups: the Resistance Training Group (RTG), which followed an 8-week minimum-dose training protocol, and the Control Group (CG), which underwent only physical testing. The Premenstrual Symptom Screening Tool (PSST) and the Brief COPE were used for assessments. A mixed linear model with Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML), ANOVA III table application, and Tukey's post hoc test was used for PMS analysis. For coping strategies, a mixed linear model was applied to each domain, with descriptive and exploratory analyses. These analyses were performed in R Studio. For the physical tests, the mean and standard deviation of the variables in each group at the three protocol time points were calculated, and differences between groups were analyzed using Student's t-test conducted in Jamovi. A reduction in both physical and psychological PMS symptoms (χ² = 7.64, df = 2, p = 0.02) and functional impacts (χ² = 6.37, df = 2, p = 0.04) was observed in the RTG compared to the CG during the second evaluation. Coping strategy patterns remained stable, showing no influence from the minimum-dose protocol. The minimum-dose exercise approach effectively reduced PMS symptom severity and functional impairments but did not affect coping strategies. Trial Registration: Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (ReBEC) number: RBR-4pp65c6.