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Regular physical and mind–body exercise serves as a highly effective non-pharmacological strategy to ease menopausal symptoms, combat anxiety and depression, and enhance health-related quality of life.
The menopausal transition can bring more than hot flashes and night sweats. Hormonal fluctuations may coincide with sleep disturbances, emotional changes, anxiety, and low mood, making everyday life challenging for many women. Could exercise offer benefits beyond physical fitness? A systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that both conventional physical exercise and mind–body exercise may help women navigate this transition by improving menopausal symptoms, quality of life (QoL), and psychological well-being.
Published in the "European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology", the study explored the effects of exercise on menopausal symptoms, health-related QoL, anxiety, and depression. Researchers searched PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, and Web of Science for relevant studies published between January 2020 and September 2025.
The analysis incorporated 12 randomized controlled trials involving 1,050 subjects. The researchers assessed risk of bias via the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and evaluated evidence certainty via the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Random-effects meta-analysis, leave-one-out sensitivity analyses, and subgroup analyses were also executed.
Compared with control conditions, exercise was linked with remarkable improvements in all four outcomes:
Exploratory subgroup analyses indicated that the benefits may vary according to exercise modality, suggesting that conventional and mind–body approaches could offer complementary benefits. Sensitivity analyses also favored the robustness of the outcomes. Hence, integrating structured, individualised exercise prescriptions into comprehensive women's health care offers an invaluable non-pharmacological strategy. By combining conventional workouts and mind–body modalities, clinicians can offer person-centred menopause care that addresses both physical burdens and psychological health.
European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Physical exercise and mind–body exercise in the menopausal transition: A systematic review and meta-analysis of effects on quality of life, symptoms, and psychological health
Africa Ruiz-Cerezo et al.
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