The effectiveness of yoga in reducing primary dysmenorrhoea

Abstract

Overview of the Topic: The symptom of painful menstruation is known as primary dysmenorrhoea (Saka et al., 2018). Yoga is regarded as being an effective treatment for reducing menstrual pain in women of the reproductive age with primary dysmenorrhoea. The research question: Is yoga effective in reducing primary dysmenorrhoea? PICO elements: The population under study included women with primary dysmenorrhoea. The intervention under review included yoga practise. The comparison was no yoga. The expected outcome was reduced menstrual pain. Methods: In order to generate alternative terms, the PICO elements were used as key terms. These were united by means of search tools including; Boolean Operators and wild cards. Databases used were EBSCO, PubMed and Scopus. Limiters were also applied for more precise search. The PRISMA 2020 Checklist was utilised to screen and eliminate non-relevant articles. Comprehensive inclusion and exclusion criteria were also applied to guide the selection process further. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Tool (2021) was employed to critically appraise the literature. Results: A total of five key studies were acknowledged including four RCTs and one meta-analysis. All four RCTs found significant results in reducing menstrual cramps amongst those individuals who practised yoga. Conclusion: The key studies could not conclude a definitive conclusion, however this dissertation provided adequate evidence showing the asset of practising yoga poses. Nevertheless, further research is required in order to answer this PICO question. Implications and recommendations: Implementing trials with a larger sample size is one of the recommendations for future research, along with performing research in Malta. Recommendations for future practice consist of establishing yoga classes designed for women with primary dysmenorrhoea. The formation of policies to train HCP are among the recommendations for management. Recommendations for education consist of expanding awareness and information amongst both HCP and patients.