The relationship between high physical activity and premenstrual syndrome in Japanese female college students

Abstract Background In recent years, moderate physical activity has attracted the attention of experts and women as a way to cope with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Studies investigated the effects of exercise on PMS, but only a few reports focused on the relationship between physical activity, which included not only exercise but also routine bodily movements, and PMS. Therefore, the present study investigated the relationship between the amount of physical activity and PMS symptoms among sexually mature female students. Methods A total of 381 female university students in Japan were surveyed using a paper or web-based questionnaire with the same content. The questionnaire consisted of basic information, PMS symptoms, and physical activity based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Participants were divided into two groups (≥ 3000 The Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET)-minutes/week and