A network meta-analysis of 32 RCTs in postmenopausal women found endurance, interval, resistance, and hybrid training improved flow-mediated dilation and pulse wave velocity, measures of vascular function.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,427 participants pooled · 2024PostmenopausalCited 12 timesPubMed
A network meta-analysis of 64 trials in postmenopausal women found continuous aerobic exercise best lowered blood pressure in those with hypertension, while HIIT was most effective in those without.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2,460 participants pooled · 2025PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
A review found that 12 to 16 weeks of recreational football training in women aged 18 to 65 improved aerobic fitness, blood pressure, fat loss, lipid profile and bone mineralisation.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2018Midlife womenCited 45 timesPubMed
A systematic review of 51 studies found aerobic, resistance, interval or stretching exercise improved arterial stiffness in healthy young, middle-aged and older women, varying by age and exercise type.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2023Midlife womenCited 20 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, 2 weeks of low-volume high-intensity interval cycling raised peak oxygen uptake while a longer moderate-intensity continuous program did not reach significance for that measure.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 18 women · 2 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 58 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women completed 8 to 12 weeks of high intensity interval or continuous aerobic training and researchers found improved blood vessel function, with HIIT showing stronger effects than moderate training.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 48 women · 12 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 22 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome, 8 weeks of resistance training or HIIT reduced weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, with HIIT improving metabolic markers more and resistance training improving muscle mass and strength more.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 45 women · 8 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed
In overweight postmenopausal women, 8 weeks of interval sprint cycling reduced arterial stiffness and increased aerobic fitness compared with a control group.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 60 women · 8 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did a single session of high or moderate intensity exercise with beetroot juice nitrate supplement, and high intensity exercise plus nitrate improved blood vessel dilation more than control.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 24 women · 2023PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with hypertension who did 12 weeks of standard aerobic training showed little blood pressure drop, but all who switched to high-intensity interval training saw significant reductions.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 65 women · 24 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
Twenty-six obese middle-aged women with prehypertension did 6 weeks of resistance plus moderate or high-intensity aerobic training; both groups improved body composition, blood pressure, and fitness, with resistance plus HIIT improving lipids more.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 26 women · 6 weeks · 2025Midlife womenCited 6 timesPubMed
Untrained postmenopausal women did a single high-intensity interval training session, and researchers found blood pressure and heart rate variability measures worsened afterward compared to a non-exercise control.
Reported a worseningRandomised trial · 16 women · 2022PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
Late premenopausal and early postmenopausal women did 3 months of high-intensity aerobic training, which reduced weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and improved insulin response similarly in both groups.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 79 women · 12 weeks · 2017Midlife womenCited 64 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 12 weeks of functional HIIT or combined aerobic and resistance training; only the combined training group showed a significant drop in systolic blood pressure, and HIIT was not equivalent.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 49 women · 12 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
Hypertensive postmenopausal women did single sessions of interval step exercise or continuous walking, and both acutely lowered systolic blood pressure compared to a no-exercise control session.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 12 women · 2023PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did a single high intensity interval exercise session with or without light therapy and researchers found no added benefit of the light therapy on blood pressure or recovery.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 16 women · 2022PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
In 29 postmenopausal women, a single session of high-intensity interval or isometric resistance exercise lowered blood pressure afterward, with effects varying by exercise type and vasomotor symptom status.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 29 women · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
A 12-week aquatic HIIT program in postmenopausal women improved blood lipids overall and lowered blood pressure in some genotype groups, with no consistent arterial stiffness benefit.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 47 women · 12 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
In ten late postmenopausal women, 10 weeks of high-intensity floorball training increased fitness and reduced blood pressure, and increased prostacyclin formation, but did not improve leg vascular responsiveness.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 10 women · 10 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
Fifty-nine obese peri- and postmenopausal women did six weeks of HIIT, which reduced blood pressure and anthropometric measures, with menopausal status predicting plasma volume changes.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 59 women · 6 weeks · 2025Midlife womenCited 3 timesPubMed