Physical exercise and curcumin supplementation have the potential to reduce pain intensity in women with primary dysmenorrhea: Systematic review

Abstract

This review aims to highlight the potential of physical exercise and curcumin supplementation in reducing pain intensity in women with primary dysmenorrhea. This research uses a systematic review method. Studies were identified through Proquest, Pubmed, ScienceDirect, and PMC Europe electronic databases. The inclusion criteria in this study were international journals that focused on discussing aerobic exercise, stretching, core strengthening, Zumba, and FITT as treatment methods for PD, as well as articles that discussed the efficacy of curcumin as a PD treatment. The exclusion criteria in this study were international journals that had been published in the last 5 years and articles that were not relevant to PD treatment. For standard operationalization, this Study follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Based on the results of the review, physical exercise such as aerobic exercise, treadmill, Zumba, squatting exercise, and therapeutic exercise which is done regularly has the potential to reduce the intensity of menstrual pain. Furthermore, curcumin supplementation at a dose of 500-1000 mg can help reduce complaints of primary dysmenorrhea by inhibiting the cyclooxygenase (COX) reaction so that it can reduce inflammation and inhibit uterine contractions which cause menstrual pain.