Population study on the use of Integrative complementary practices for Premenstrual Syndrome symptomatology relief

Abstract

Menstruation, a gynecological bleeding that occurs periodically in the absence of pregnancy, is associated with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), characterized by physical and emotional changes such as irritability, cramps, low back pain, headache and mastalgia. Since those symptoms impacts the women routine, self-medication becomes a frequent practice. However, the drugs traditionally used for this purpose can cause side effects, such as: gastrointestinal and renal changes, cardiovascular risk, thromboembolism, among others. Considering the importance of natural ways of pain management for the female population, this study aimed to observe how integrative and complementary practices affects PMS symptoms in Northeastern Brazilian women and discuss evidence about the benefit of these practices. A questionnaire about PMS was applied, and the results was achieved by frequency analysis and Pearson's Chi-Square Test, using the IBM SPSS Statistics program. The results showed high prevalence of symptoms associated with PMS among study participants and significant impact in social life and productivity at work. It can also be seen that the adoption of practices such as yoga, aromatherapy, meditation, and herbal medicine contribute to the relief of PMS. Since phytotherapy has become quite efficient in this sense, evidence was sought in the literature about the properties of the herbs most used by the sample studied. It was concluded that routine consumption of herbs with anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties has much to contribute to improving the quality of life of the female population.