Beneficial effects of alternative methods, with an emphasis on yoga, for patients affected by pain associated with endometriosis

Katarzyna Kutyła, Anna Marszałek, Maciej Choiński, Paulina Wasiewicz-Ciach, Marcelina Teresa Marzec, Piotr Kuczyński, Aleksandra Wydra-Rojek, Aleksandra Łakoma, Weronika Zofia Marzec, Wojciech Jan Mokot
In: Quality in Sport · 2024 · vol. 21 , pp. 54049 · doi:10.12775/qs.2024.21.54049 · W4402095086
article OA: diamond CC0
🔓 Open OA copy Full text JSON View on OpenAlex View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-09 ⓘ

This systematic review of twenty studies found that yoga and other alternative methods significantly improve quality of life and manage pain for patients with endometriosis.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-10 · read from full text ⓘ

This systematic review compared studies published since 2017 to assess whether yoga and other alternative methods improve pain-related outcomes in patients with endometriosis, synthesizing 20 studies that included randomized controlled trials and observational studies. Across the included evidence, the authors reported consistent improvements in quality of life and found yoga—which they describe as both physical and mental—associated with benefits for managing pain and pelvic pain. The review also highlights limitations stemming from study design issues and variability across interventions and studies. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it systematically reviews evidence (since 2017) on yoga and other alternative methods for managing pain associated with endometriosis.

Read from the paper's body, not the abstract. Not a substitute for reading the paper. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Aim of the study The aim of this systematic review is to compare studies published since 2017 to evaluate whether yoga and other alternative methods should be recommended to patients with endometriosis and associated pain. As alternative methods, particularly yoga, have gained popularity in recent years, it is crucial for healthcare professionals to ensure that these approaches are scientifically valid. This systematic review examines the effects of practicing different types of yoga and possible advantages of other alternative methods that could be potentially beneficial on pain management for patients suffering form endometriosis. Methods This review synthesizes findings from twenty studies, including randomized controlled trials and observational studies. ConclusionThe results consistently indicate significant improvements in the quality of life for patients with endometriosis. Yoga, as both a physical and mental practice, appears to be beneficial in managing pain. Although there are some limitations related to study design and variability, the evidence strongly supports the benefits of yoga in managing pelvic pain. Future research should focus on identifying which specific types of yoga practices offer the greatest benefits.
Full text 7,299 characters · extracted from oa-doi-fallback · 3 sections · click to expand

Methods

This review synthesizes findings from twenty studies, including randomized controlled trials and observational studies.

Conclusion

The results consistently indicate significant improvements in the quality of life for patients with endometriosis. Yoga, as both a physical and mental practice, appears to be beneficial in managing pain. Although there are some limitations related to study design and variability, the evidence strongly supports the benefits of yoga in managing pelvic pain. Future research should focus on identifying which specific types of yoga practices offer the greatest benefits.

References

Annu Chhikara, Mansi Jain, Sakshi Vats, Faizan Z. Kashoo, Aksh Chahal, Sonali Guliya, Krishna Reddy Vajrala, Mohammad Sidiq, Richa Hirendra Rai; Role of Yoga in Minimizing Stress and Anxiety in Women Experiencing Dysmenorrhea; Journal of Lifestyle Medicine; 2023; doi:10.15280/jlm.2023.13.2.90 Monika Ranga PhD, Kalinki Dev PhD; The Effect of Yoga Therapy in Premenstrual Syndrome: A systematic Review of Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials; Journal of Obstretics and Gynecology Canada June 2024; doi: 10.1016/j.jogc.2024.102579 Claire Tourny, Amira Zouita, Samira El Kababi, Léa Feuillet, Ayoub Saeidi, Ismail Laher, Katja Weiss, Beat Knechtle, Hassane Zouhal; Endometrosis and pchysical activity: A narrative review International journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology June 2023; doi:10.1002/ijgo.14898 Lilian Donatti, Denise Gimenez Ramos, Marina de Paula Andres, Leigh Jonathan Passman, Sérgio Podgaec; Patients with endometriosis using positive coping strategies have less depression, stress and pelvic pain; Scielo Brasil, 2017; doi:10.1590/S1679-45082017AO3911 Chapron C., Marcellin L., Borghese B.; Rethinking mechanisms, diagnosis and management of endometriosis; Nat Rev Endocrinol 2019; doi:10.1038/s41574-019-0245-z Andrea Vasconcelos Gonçalves, Nelson Filice Barros, and Luis Bahamondes; The Practice of Hatha Yoga for the Treatment of Pain Associated with Endometriosis; The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2017; doi:10.1089/acm.2015.0343 Ticiana A.A. Mira, Mariana M. Buen, Murilo G. Borges, Daniela A. Yela, Cristina L. Benetti-Pinto ; Systematic review and meta-analysis of complementary treatments for women with symptomatic endometriosis; International journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2018; doi:10.1002/ijgo.12576 Antonina Mikocka-Walus, Marilla Druitt, Melissa O’Shea, David Skvarc, Jennifer J Watts, Adrian Esterman, Jim Tsaltas, Simon Knowles, Jill Harris, Charlotte Dowding, Elesha Parigi, Subhadra Evans; Yoga, cognitive–behavioural therapy versus education to improve quality of life and reduce healthcare costs in people with endometriosis: a randomised controlled trial BMJ Journal; doi:0.1136/bmjopen-2020-046603 Ponlapat Yonglitthipagon, Somruthai Muansiangsai, Wilanee Wongkhumngern, Lukana Mato, Wichai Eungpinichpong, Taweesak Janyacharoen; Effect of yoga on the menstrual pain, physical fitness, and quality of life of young women with primary dysmenorrhea; Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 2017; doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.01.014 Remedios López-Liria, Lucía Torres-Álamo, Francisco A. Vega-Ramírez, Amelia V. García-Luengo, José M. Aguilar-Parra, Rubén Trigueros-Ramos, Patricia Rocamora-Pérez; Efficacy of Physiotherapy Treatment in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021; doi:10.3390/ijerph18157832 Özge Günebakan, Manolya Acar; The effect of tele-yoga training in healthy women on menstrual symptoms, quality of life, anxiety-depression level, body awareness, and self-esteem during COVID-19 pandemic Springer 2022; doi:10.1007s11845-022-02985-0 Armour, M., Sinclair, J., Chalmers, K.J.; Self-management strategies amongst Australian women with endometriosis: a national online survey. BMC 2019; doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2431-x Tennfjord, M.K., Gabrielsen, R. & Tellum, T.; Effect of physical activity and exercise on endometriosis-associated symptoms: a systematic review. BMC Women's Health 2021;doi: 10.1186/s12905-021-01500-4 Rebeca Abril-Coello, Marta Correyero-León, Luis Ceballos-Laita, Sandra Jiménez-Barrio; Benefits of physical therapy in improving quality of life and pain associated with endometriosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics; December 2022 doi:10.1002/ijgo.14645 Bernardi, M.; Lazzeri, L.; Perelli, F.; Reis, F.M.; Petraglia, F.; Dysmenorrhea and related disorders. 2017 doi: 10.12688/f1000research.11682.1 Armour, M.; Parry, K.; Manohar, N.; Holmes, K.; Ferfolja, T.; Curry, C.; The Prevalence and Academic Impact of Dysmenorrhea in 21,573 Young Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J. Women’s Health 2019; doi: 10.1089/jwh.2018.7615 Armour, M.; Ee, C.C.; Naidoo, D.; Ayati, Z.; Chalmers, K.J.; Steel, K.A.; Exercise for dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2019, doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004142.pub4 Matthewman, G.; Lee, A.; Kaur, J.G.; Daley, A.J.; Physical activity for primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. ; Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 2018 doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2018.04.001 Arik, M.I.; Kiloatar, H.; Aslan, B.; Icelli, M. The effect of tens for pain relief in women with primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Explore 2020; doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2020.08.005 Sharghi, M.; Mansurkhani, S.M.; Larky, D.A.; Kooti, W.; Niksefat, M.; Firoozbakht, M.; Behzadifar, M.; Azami, M.; Servatyari, K.; Jouybari, L. An update and systematic review on the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. JBRA 2019; doi:10.5935/1518-0557.20180083 Yonglitthipagon, P.; Muansiangsai, S.; Wongkhumngern, W.; Donpunha, W.; Chanavirut, R.; Siritaratiwat, W. Effect of yoga on the menstrual pain, physical fitness, and quality of life of young women with primary dysmenorrhea. J. Bodyw. Mov. Ther. 2017; doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.01.014 Downloads Published How to Cite Issue Section License Copyright (c) 2024 Katarzyna Kutyła, Anna Marszałek, Maciej Choiński, Paulina Wasiewicz-Ciach, Marcelina Teresa Marzec, Piotr Kuczyński, Aleksandra Wydra-Rojek, Aleksandra Łakoma, Weronika Zofia Marzec, Wojciech Jan Mokot This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Stats Number of views and downloads: 1558 Number of citations: 0

Text is read by the "Ask this paper" AI Q&A widget below. Extraction quality varies by source — PMC NXML preserves structure cleanly, OA-HTML may include some navigation residue, and OA-PDF can have broken hyphenation. The publisher copy (via DOI) is the canonical version.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

⚙ Ask this paper AI returns verbatim quotes from the full text · source: oa-doi-fallback ⓘ

Answers must be backed by verbatim quotes from this paper's full text. Hallucinated quotes are dropped automatically; if no verbatim passage answers the question, we say so. How this works

Condition tags

endometriosis

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (19)

Source provenance

openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK