90% of women have experienced dysmenorrhoea, which is pain or cramps in the abdominal area just before or during the first days of menstruation. Sometimes the pain is so intense that it affects their daily life, they may also feel nausea, bloating, cramps and other symptoms and have to take strong painkillers to ease the pain.
This pain is due to the fact that in each cycle a uterine lining is formed in which the egg would nest if fertilised. If fertilisation does not occur, this layer has to be eliminated by contractions of the uterus stimulated by the action of prostaglandins, which are also responsible for inflammatory processes. If there is an excess of this hormone, this will cause strong contractions and inflammation that can affect the entire abdominal area.
In 2019, a literature review was carried out looking for scientific evidence of the influence of sport on dysmenorrhoea, in which 9 studies were found that compared women with menstrual cramps who exercised regularly with others who did not. Pain was measured according to the visual analogue scale where the person scored the level of perceived pain.
This showed that both high intensity exercise such as running or spinning and low intensity exercise (yoga, pilates) can provide a large reduction in the degree of menstrual pain compared to no physical activity at all.
There are also studies that show that doing sport 3 times a week prevents premenstrual syndrome, which not only has physical symptoms but also affects mood, concentration and irritability.
A very common feature of PMS is a feeling of heaviness in the legs due to fluid retention resulting from hormonal changes.
To alleviate these discomforts, the ideal is to apply a cold effect spray or gel which helps to decongest, providing instant comfort and relief.
