Primary dysmenorrhea defines as the pelvic pain during menstruation in the absence of any pelvic pathology. It is found to be one of the most common gynecological problems in women who menstruate around the world. Primary dysmenorrhea was found to be one of main reasons that cause school and work absenteeism among young adolescents and working women. The most common treatment option for primary dysmenorrhea worldwide is oral contraceptive pills.

The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to investigate the effects of exercise therapy on primary dysmenorrhea.

This bachelor’s thesis was based on literature review and follows the basic principles of systematic search. The search for literature was done in Pubmed, CINAHL and ScienceDirect databases. 8 articles: 5 randomized control trials (RCT), 2 systematic review and metanalyses and one quasi experimental study fulfilled the inclusion criteria of this thesis.

According to results exercise therapy indicated a significant impact on reducing the pain in terms of intensity and duration in women who suffered from primary dysmenorrhea. Exercise as a treatment option was found to be benefical in managing other symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea such as sleep disturbance, anxiety level during menstruation and overall quality of life. The effects were more significant in the second and third menstrual cycles followed up by exercise interventions.

In conclusion exercise as a treatment option for primary dysmenorrhea showed significant impact when used with or without other existing treatment options and was found to managed the symptoms without any pharmacological treatment.