The Effect of Practicing "Endometriosis Yoga" on Stress and Quality of Life for Women with Endometriosis: AB Design Pilot Study.

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that has a significant negative impact on the lives of women, causing them pain, anxiety, depression, and a decreased quality of life (QoL). Studies have shown that the practice of yoga with provide relief from lower back pain, menopausal symptoms, stress, and depression. Further, they indicate that it may ameliorate the effects of endometriosis. Objective: The study aimed to examine the effect of practicing endometriosis yoga on the stress and QoL of women diagnosed with endometriosis. Design: This was an AB design study which included 52 women diagnosed with endometriosis. Setting: The research was conducted twice a week online. Participants: Forty-two (42) women participated in the study and were included in the analysis. Interventions: The program included eight weeks of conventional therapy, followed by eight weeks of 90-minute endometriosis yoga classes held twice a week. The women served as their own control group. Their symptoms were assessed at three time points: prior to two months of conservative treatment, after two months of conservative treatment, and following two months of the conservative treatment and yoga intervention. The outcome measures were the Endometriosis Health Profile (EHP-30), a numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), and intensity of bleeding during the last menstrual period. Results: All outcome measures improved after the women completed the endometriosis yoga intervention. The EHP-30 and NPRS questionnaire scores were lower after the intervention program (P = .001) as was the blood-flow intensity (P = .019). Conclusions: The practice of endometriosis yoga is recommended for women with endometriosis to reduce levels of pain and stress and to improve QoL.

The effect of vitamin D deficiency and supplementation on urinary incontinence: scoping review.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Vitamin D receptors are found in skeletal and smooth muscle cells throughout the body, specifically in the bladder detrusor muscle. We reviewed the current literature on the association between vitamin D deficiency and urinary incontinence (UI), and whether vitamin D supplementation plays a role in the treatment of UI symptoms. METHODS: We performed a scoping review of all available studies. PubMed, Google Scholar, and PEDro databases were searched from inception until August 2020 with the keywords "urinary incontinence," "pelvic floor disorders," "lower urinary tract symptoms," "overactive bladder," and various terms for vitamin D. No language restrictions were imposed. The reference lists of all retrieved articles were also searched. RESULTS: The search revealed 12 studies of different research methodologies after elimination. In 6 out of the 7 cross-sectional studies reviewed, a significant association between vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency and the onset and severity of UI was found. In 2 out of the 3 prospective studies included, no association between vitamin D intake and UI was found; however, both randomized controlled trials that were reviewed found that vitamin D supplementation is effective for the treatment of UI. CONCLUSIONS: The existing literature supports an association between low levels of serum vitamin D and UI. Initial evidence regarding the effect of vitamin D supplementation on UI is accumulating, yet additional, comprehensive research is warranted to establish these findings.

The prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea among students and its association with musculoskeletal and myofascial pain.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between dysmenorrhea and musculoskeletal pain amongst university students aged 20-35 and the association between dysmenorrhea and the occurrence of MTrPs. METHODS: The study comprised two stages: a cross-sectional study evaluated the association between dysmenorrhea and musculoskeletal pain and a case-control study evaluated the association between dysmenorrhea and the occurrence of MTrPs in the abdominal and pelvic area. Initially, questionnaires such as demographics, menstruation characteristics, Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), measuring the average pain during menstruation and Nordic, were distributed to female students. Twenty subjects who suffered from menstrual pain of >3 on the NPRS (ones with the highest scores) were included in the second stage as cases. An additional 20 who had not suffered from menstrual pain (NPRS ≤3) were considered controls. All 40 subjects underwent an assessment of MTrPs by two examiners blinded to each other's results and to the group allocation of the subjects. RESULTS: We found that dysmenorrhea is a very prevalent condition among young female students. Most frequent complaints were: lower abdomen and back pain, tiredness, breast tenderness, mood changes, and an increased appetite. Pain during menstruation indicated a significant positive association with neck, low back, and hip/thigh pain during the last 12 months. The results of the palpitation conclusively showed more active MTrPs in the rectus abdominis, quadratus lumborum and paraspinal muscles in women suffering from pain during menstruation than in those who were not in pain. CONCLUSION: Our data provide an initial basis for the inclusion of a myofascial examination when evaluating women with dysmenorrhea.