Living near green space may help to fend off symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, according to research, with women in rural areas less likely to suffer from mood swings and period pain.
A study of more than 1,000 women aged between 18 and 49 in Norway and Sweden examined for the first time the positive impact of green space on psychological and physical symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Published in the Environment International journal, the research set out to determine whether living near urban green space could have a beneficial effect against PMS symptoms and whether this association was affected by body mass index (BMI), air pollution or physical activity.
The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and the University of Bergen found that women residing near more rural areas across their lifespan were less likely to experience symptoms of PMS than those living in more urban settings. The condition causes severe symptoms in up to 20 per cent of women of reproductive age.
Those surveyed completed a questionnaire on lifestyle factors, physical activity and reproductive health, indicating whether they experienced any of eight common symptoms of PMS: irritability, anxiety, tearfulness or increased sensitivity, depression, difficulty sleeping, abdominal pain, breast tenderness or abdominal bloating, and headaches.
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The study found that women exposed to plants on a regular basis had fewer symptoms of PMS and were less likely to experience four of the eight symptoms investigated: anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, and breast tenderness or abdominal bloating.
Payam Dadvand, an ISGlobal researcher and the study’s co-author, said: “Our research underscores the importance of long-term exposure to green space, which is where benefits against PMS symptoms were found.”
Kai Triebner, the lead author and a researcher at the University of Bergen, added: “Three of the four symptoms that improved with exposure to green space were psychological, which is consistent with what we already knew: contact with nature helps to reduce stress and improve mental health.
“Stress can worsen PMS symptoms and increase levels of the hormone cortisol, which, in turn, could be associated with an increased release of progesterone, which has been linked to the occurrence of PMS symptoms.”
