A study has found that proximity to green spaces may help with premenstrual syndrome in women

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Researchers have found that living near green spaces can reduce both the physical and psychological symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

A first-of-its-kind study of more than 1,000 women aged 18-49 in cities in Norway and Sweden found that women who lived their whole lives in neighborhoods with larger green spaces were less likely to develop PMS symptoms than those who lived in them. Less green neighborhoods.

Scientists from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and the University of Bergen found that women who lived in neighborhoods with more greenery had fewer symptoms of PMS and were less likely to have anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, and breast pain or flatulence.

Although PMS causes clinically relevant symptoms in up to 20% of women of childbearing age, no studies have previously been performed on its relationship to greenery.

The study, published in the Journal of Environment International, adds to a growing body of evidence for the health benefits associated with natural environments.

The participating women – from Bergen in Norway and Gothenburg and Umeå and Uppsala in Sweden – were asked to complete a questionnaire, including whether they had experienced any of the following common PMS symptoms: irritability, anxiety, crying or increased sensitivity, difficulty sleeping, depression, breast tenderness Abdominal tenderness or bloating, headache.

The study adopted the Natural Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to calculate green area and the scientists also estimated exposure to air pollution.

The research aims to determine whether living near an urban green space can improve PMS symptoms and whether it is affected by body mass index, air pollution or physical activity.

Lead author Kai Triebner, a researcher at the University of Bergen, said: “Three of the four symptoms that improved with exposure to greenery were psychological, which is consistent with what we already know: Connecting with nature helps reduce stress and improve mental health.”

Treebner said greenery lowers cortisol levels. He said: “Stress can worsen PMS symptoms and increase cortisol levels, which in turn can be associated with increased progesterone secretion, which has been linked to PMS symptoms.”

He said the research was “another building block” in understanding the best conditions for healthy living.

But research has found that women need prolonged exposure to green spaces to get the most benefits. “When we looked at exposure to green spaces at a specific point in time, the analysis yielded no significant results,” said Payam Dadvand, a researcher at ISGlobal, Barcelona’s Institute for Global Health, and coordinator of the study. “Our research therefore underscores the importance of long-term exposure to green spaces, as benefits against PMS symptoms have been found.”

Previous research has indicated that the benefits of natural space are associated with increased physical activity and reduced exposure to air pollution. But the latest study did not find that these factors played a role.

Dadvand said that despite mounting evidence of the beneficial effect of green space on health, many cities still lack enough of them. “City officials must therefore prioritize natural environments as essential to our health,” he said.

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