A meta-analysis of 18 randomized trials in healthy women found that physical activity programmes reduced circulating estradiol and testosterone levels, independent of menopausal status.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,994 participants pooled · 2015Midlife womenCited 143 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of six RCTs in inactive postmenopausal women found combined exercise and reduced calorie diet, lasting 16 to 52 weeks, lowered estrogen and testosterone levels more than exercise alone.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,588 participants pooled · 52 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 37 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of resistance and aerobic training in postmenopausal women found exercise significantly increased IGF-1 and decreased IGFBP-3 levels.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,170 participants pooled · 2024PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
A network meta-analysis of 39 trials in postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity found resistance training lowered CRP most, combined training lowered IL-6 and TNF-alpha, and leptin did not change.
No difference foundMeta-analysis · 2,714 participants pooled · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Sedentary, overweight postmenopausal women did 12 months of moderate exercise; at 3 months serum estrogens declined versus controls, but effects were largely limited to women who lost body fat.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 170 women · 52 weeks · 2004PostmenopausalCited 247 timesPubMed
Over 12 months, overweight postmenopausal women assigned to diet, exercise, or both reported lower estrogen and testosterone levels, with the largest effects in combined diet plus exercise.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 439 women · 52 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 162 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women aged 50 to 74 did a year of aerobic exercise, which lowered estradiol and raised sex hormone binding globulin compared with controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 320 women · 52 weeks · 2010PostmenopausalCited 161 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors did 150 minutes weekly of moderate aerobic exercise for 6 months, which lowered insulin-like growth factor levels compared to a usual care group.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 75 women · 26 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 183 timesPubMed
A review of trials and cohort studies in pre and postmenopausal women found physical activity mostly decreased estrogens, progesterone and androgens, and increased sex hormone binding globulin, with small effect sizes.
Mixed resultsSystematic review · 2022Midlife womenCited 30 timesPubMed
A review of 43 studies found diet and exercise interventions, especially combined with weight loss, better controlled estrogen levels linked to breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2021PostmenopausalCited 28 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 12 months of diet, aerobic exercise, or both; diet and diet plus exercise raised adiponectin and lowered leptin, exercise alone had smaller effects.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 439 women · 52 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 100 timesPubMed
A systematic review of 12 RCTs found strength exercises in menopausal women reported improvements in leg and pelvic floor strength, bone density, metabolic and hormonal markers, blood pressure, and hot flashes.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2023Midlife womenCited 24 timesPubMed
173 sedentary, overweight postmenopausal women did a 12-month moderate exercise program, and those who lost more body fat had greater declines in testosterone than controls.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 173 women · 52 weeks · 2004PostmenopausalCited 106 timesPubMed
In 173 sedentary overweight postmenopausal women randomized to a one year aerobic exercise program or stretching, exercisers lost weight and showed a progressive rise in ghrelin levels.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 168 women · 52 weeks · 2005PostmenopausalCited 98 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors who cycled three times weekly for 15 weeks showed no change in fasting insulin or glucose but had significant changes in IGF-I and IGFBP-3 versus non-exercising controls.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 52 women · 15 weeks · 2003PostmenopausalCited 122 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women lost weight over 16 weeks via diet or mainly exercise, and exercise produced greater fat loss, preserved lean mass, and some differences in sex hormones compared to diet.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 243 women · 16 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 66 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with osteopenia did 6 months of Tai Chi with or without green tea extract; both increased bone formation markers and improved muscle strength.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 150 women · 26 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 78 timesPubMed
189 sedentary postmenopausal women did a 1 year combined aerobic and strength program and overall showed no favorable change in sex hormone levels compared to controls.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 189 women · 52 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 69 timesPubMed
Sedentary overweight postmenopausal women did a year-long moderate-intensity physical activity program versus stretching, with limited evidence that sleep changes affected exercise-related weight, ghrelin or leptin changes.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 173 women · 52 weeks · 2007PostmenopausalCited 59 timesPubMed
In 43 sedentary postmenopausal Brazilian women, 16 weeks of resistance training increased muscle mass and strength, linked to a rise in IGF-1 compared to controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 43 women · 16 weeks · 2008PostmenopausalCited 76 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors did one year of resistance training versus placebo control, and those who gained strength or lost weight showed reduced inflammatory markers like CRP.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 215 women · 52 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 40 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women following a calorie-restricted diet and exercise, with or without soy isoflavones, for 6 months showed lower leptin and TNF-alpha, with adiponectin rising only in the soy group.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 87 women · 26 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 56 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal Korean women did 16 weeks of yoga exercise and showed reduced body fat, blood pressure and insulin resistance, with increased HDL cholesterol and adiponectin, versus a no-exercise control group.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 16 women · 16 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 75 timesPubMed
In an 88 woman 12 week RCT, postmenopausal women practicing Hatha yoga reported lower menopausal symptom and depression scores and higher quality of life than control and exercise groups.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 88 women · 12 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 48 timesPubMed
Overweight or obese postmenopausal women completed 12 months of diet, exercise, or both; the combined diet plus exercise group showed a significant rise in fasting ghrelin versus controls.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 439 women · 52 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 35 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women who did 12 months of resistance and weight-bearing aerobic exercise gained lean mass and lost leg fat, regardless of hormone therapy use or changes in hormone levels.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 94 women · 52 weeks · 2003PostmenopausalCited 63 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women did six months of exercise with or without isoflavone supplementation, and exercise plus isoflavone reduced body weight and abdominal fat more than exercise alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 50 women · 26 weeks · 2007PostmenopausalCited 57 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 12 months of exercise, diet, or both, and diet-based weight loss groups showed a small increase in the IGF-I to IGFBP-3 ratio versus control.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 439 women · 52 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 31 timesPubMed
14 postmenopausal women, some on hormone therapy, did eccentric leg exercise, and those on hormone therapy showed a greater muscle-building gene response afterward.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 14 women · 2009PostmenopausalCited 66 timesPubMed
Overweight, sedentary postmenopausal women completed 12 months of moderate aerobic exercise, which did not significantly change urinary estrogen metabolite excretion compared to stretching controls.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 170 women · 52 weeks · 2004PostmenopausalCited 39 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women with stage 1 hypertension, 12 weeks of resistance band training raised estradiol and other hormones, lowered systolic blood pressure and body fat, and increased lean mass.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 41 timesPubMed
Overweight, glucose-intolerant postmenopausal women assigned to an intensive lifestyle program with weight loss and 150 minutes weekly exercise had small FSH increases linked to weight loss over one year.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 382 women · 52 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 25 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did a year of walking and aerobic training; the exercise group showed a greater increase in osteoprotegerin, a bone-protective marker, than controls.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 92 women · 52 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 36 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did a year of diet, exercise, combined, or no intervention, and those with sustained weight loss at 30 months had greater decreases in free estradiol and testosterone and higher SHBG.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 439 women · 78 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 22 timesPubMed
In obese postmenopausal women, 16 weeks of aerobic exercise reduced body fat, glucose, insulin and blood pressure, and raised sex hormone binding globulin, versus no change in controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 16 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 45 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did a 12 week home-based bench step exercise program and showed improved BMI, blood pressure, glucose, LDL cholesterol and arterial stiffness measures.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 26 women · 12 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 38 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women did 16 weeks of low to moderate intensity treadmill walking, which lowered inflammatory cytokines and reproductive hormone levels compared with controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 28 women · 16 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 34 timesPubMed
Healthy women aged 50 to 65 did 12 weeks of combined aerobic plus resistance training or aerobic training alone, and combined training improved growth hormone, body fat, glucose and blood pressure more.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 22 women · 12 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 40 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with glucose intolerance in an intensive lifestyle program combining weight loss and 150 minutes weekly exercise showed increased SHBG and lower DHEA, linked to lower glucose levels.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 382 women · 2012PostmenopausalCited 21 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women lost weight via diet alone or exercise plus diet over 16 weeks, and fat loss was linked to favorable changes in sex hormones and inflammatory markers.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 243 women · 16 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 20 timesPubMed
In women around age 61, calcium supplementation before and during vigorous treadmill walking attenuated the rise in parathyroid hormone seen with exercise, compared to a control beverage.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 23 women · 2014PostmenopausalCited 33 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with hot flushes did 15 weeks of resistance training, which lowered blood levels of adiponectin, lipocalin-2 and resistin compared with sedentary controls.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 55 women · 15 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 23 timesPubMed
In 60 perimenopausal women with functional dyspepsia, adding aerobic exercise to relaxation therapy for 8 weeks increased estradiol levels more than relaxation therapy alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 60 women · 8 weeks · 2022PerimenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed
Over 12 weeks, obese postmenopausal women doing endurance or concurrent aerobic and resistance training reduced fat mass, with concurrent training also increasing lean mass and differing effects on sex hormones like testosterone.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 35 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 22 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 200 minutes a week of aerobic exercise for 12 months and researchers found fat loss partly explained exercise-related changes in estradiol and SHBG.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 320 women · 52 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
Obese women aged 50 to 61 did 8 weeks of aerobic or resistance exercise; both reduced weight, waist circumference and body fat, and raised apelin-12 levels.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 24 women · 8 weeks · 2019Midlife womenCited 22 timesPubMed
In middle-aged obese women, 12 weeks of circuit exercise combining aerobic and resistance training reduced body weight, body fat and insulin resistance compared to no significant change in controls.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 26 women · 12 weeks · 2018Midlife womenCited 21 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with stage-2 hypertension did 12 weeks of Taekwondo training, and researchers reported decreased blood pressure, arterial stiffness and epinephrine, and increased grip and leg strength.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 women · 12 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 21 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women followed a 12-week low-energy diet with or without exercise; adding exercise did not further change leptin levels beyond diet-induced weight loss.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 121 women · 12 weeks · 1998PostmenopausalCited 24 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did periodized resistance training for 16 weeks; high responders gained more leg press strength than low responders, and leptin fell over time in both groups.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 26 women · 16 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 20 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women doing 16 weeks of resistance training with either 3 or 6 sets per exercise gained similar muscle strength, with no change in basal hormone levels.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 34 women · 16 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 18 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women tracked physical activity over 2 years and researchers found higher activity was linked to lower estradiol levels in both hormone-treated and untreated women.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 194 women · 104 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 15 timesPubMed
In 68 obese postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of treadmill exercise combined with the MIND diet improved cognitive and functional levels and changed sex hormone levels compared with diet alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 68 women · 12 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 14 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women randomized to 12 months of moderate to vigorous exercise improved fitness and had slightly lower estradiol, but researchers found no change in estrogen metabolite pathways linked to breast cancer risk.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 306 women · 52 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 11 timesPubMed
In an RCT of 80 menopausal women, one year of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga improved vasomotor, psychosocial and physical quality of life domains more than brisk walking, with no change in reproductive hormones.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 80 women · 52 weeks · 2021Midlife womenCited 13 timesPubMed
In 400 postmenopausal women, moderate versus high doses of aerobic exercise for a year showed no difference in breast cancer biomarkers measured two years later.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 333 women · 104 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of moderate aerobic walking/jogging increased vitamin D and parathyroid hormone levels and altered ECG indices compared with controls, with some changes persisting after detraining.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 31 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 15 timesPubMed
In overweight postmenopausal women completing a 12-month diet and exercise weight-loss program, adding vitamin D3 versus placebo did not change sex hormone levels overall.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 218 women · 52 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
173 sedentary, overweight postmenopausal women exercised 45 minutes 5 days a week for 12 months; prolactin levels overall did not change, but those with the largest fitness gains had reduced prolactin.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 173 women · 52 weeks · 2007PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with hot flushes did 15 weeks of resistance training three times weekly; luteinising hormone decreased significantly more than in controls, alongside a previously reported drop in hot flushes.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 65 women · 15 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did a year of power training or hormone therapy; both reduced an age related gene expression change linked to muscle loss, with effects on muscle cross-sectional area.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 27 women · 52 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 15 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors with overweight or obesity did 52 weeks of exercise, diet, or both; none of the interventions significantly changed estradiol, SHBG, or testosterone versus control.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 269 women · 52 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
In healthy postmenopausal women, a 24 month moderate intensity physical activity program lowered blood leptin and resistin levels compared with controls, with no significant change from diet alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 234 women · 104 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
Perimenopausal women aged 45 to 55 practiced Tai Chi Rouli Ball exercise and showed increased spine bone density and bone mineral content along with higher estrogen levels compared to a no-intervention control group.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 52 women · 2024PerimenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
Early postmenopausal women did a year of jump-based power training with or without hormone therapy, and both interventions altered skeletal muscle gene expression linked to preserving muscle power.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 52 weeks · 2010Early postmenopausalCited 29 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 6 months of cycle ergometer aerobic training with or without estrogen therapy, and aerobic training prevented the daytime blood pressure rise seen with estrogen alone.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 47 women · 26 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 12 timesPubMed
In 18 postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis, high load resistance exercise and low load resistance exercise with blood flow restriction both raised growth hormone and testosterone levels after a single session.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 18 women · 2022PostmenopausalCited 11 timesPubMed
A 10-week intermittent walking programme in 36 obese postmenopausal women reduced thyroid stimulating hormone, triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure, and improved fitness and HDL cholesterol.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 36 women · 10 weeks · 2026Early postmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women on or off HRT did 12 weeks of resistance training, and HRT use did not change the acute or chronic hormone responses to exercise.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 32 women · 12 weeks · 2004PostmenopausalCited 14 timesPubMed
Midlife women aged 42 to 52 did 6 months of combined aerobic and resistance training, and researchers found improved insulin sensitivity compared to a sedentary control group.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 28 women · 26 weeks · 2014Midlife womenCited 11 timesPubMed
Perimenopausal and postmenopausal women did jogging, gymnastics and wrist weight exercises for up to a year, which stopped bone density loss at the wrist after the first six months.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 83 women · 52 weeks · 1998Midlife womenCited 11 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women who did a 6-month weight loss program with or without aerobic or resistance exercise reduced body fat, insulin and leptin, but adiponectin levels did not change.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 40 women · 26 weeks · 2003PostmenopausalCited 121 timesPubMed
60 perimenopausal women were randomized to aerobic training, estrogen plus progesterone therapy, or control for 18 months; the hormone therapy group showed better results in 3 of 6 balance measures.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 60 women · 78 weeks · 2007PerimenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of resistance training reduced intramuscular estradiol, testosterone and DHEA levels regardless of whether participants also received estrogen therapy.
Reported a worseningRandomised trial · 31 women · 12 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did a 12 week mobile-based walking program, and researchers found no significant changes in adiponectin or leptin despite improved anthropometric measures.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 71 women · 12 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
Middle-aged and elderly women did 6 months of heavy resistance training and gained 24-28% in maximal strength, with no systematic changes in basal sex hormone levels.
No difference foundControlled trial · 21 women · 26 weeks · 2000Midlife womenCited 140 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women did Taekwondo training five times weekly for 16 weeks and showed reduced weight, body fat, cholesterol and negative mood, with increased serotonin.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 24 women · 16 weeks · 2021PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women aged 65 to 76, a single bout of whole-body vibration altered a circulating microRNA linked to bone resorption, while resistance exercise did not change microRNA levels.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 10 women · 2022PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Early postmenopausal women did 12 weeks of resistance training with or without estrogen therapy, and muscle satellite cell decline was counteracted only when training was combined with estrogen.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 31 women · 12 weeks · 2023Early postmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women who lost weight through an exercise trial, regaining weight over a year of follow-up was associated with rising estrogen and insulin resistance markers and falling sex hormone-binding globulin.
Reported a worseningRandomised trial · 214 women · 104 weeks · 2021PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed
Women approaching menopause given ovarian hormone suppression for 24 weeks, with or without endurance exercise training, showed no difference in energy expenditure or body composition changes between groups.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 34 women · 24 weeks · 2020PerimenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, 8 weeks of aquatic exercise under mild hypoxic conditions reduced body fat and increased adiponectin more than the same exercise under normal oxygen conditions.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 14 women · 8 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with vitamin D deficiency did 12 weeks of moderate aerobic training; gene expression and vitamin D rose but pulmonary function and sex hormone levels did not significantly change.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 29 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
Healthy postmenopausal women took estrogen or placebo for 12 weeks in a crossover trial, and estrogen did not improve treadmill exercise tolerance, oxygen uptake, or blood pressure response to exercise.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 31 women · 12 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
Untrained peri- and postmenopausal women who did 10 weeks of resistance training gained significant strength, with leucine supplementation adding no extra benefit to strength, fat free mass or hormones.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 36 women · 10 weeks · 2020Midlife womenCited 5 timesPubMed
Healthy postmenopausal women took low-dose estrogen or placebo for 6 months then cycled; estrogen did not change postexercise blood pressure or sympathetic nerve activity drops.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 18 women · 24 weeks · 2008PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with chronic low back pain did Pilates with or without elastic resistance for 8 weeks and both groups reported less pain and more lumbar strength afterward.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 22 women · 8 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
Young, middle-aged and elderly women performed heavy resistance exercise (bench press, sit-ups, leg press) and showed significant acute strength loss, with growth hormone rising in younger and middle-aged but not elderly women.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 47 women · 1995Midlife womenCited 92 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women did aerobic training plus diet for 12 weeks and researchers reported greater changes in sex hormones and clotting markers than diet alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 40 women · 12 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed
Female recreational runners, including postmenopausal women, completed two 1-hour races; carbohydrate mouth rinsing did not change running performance or hormone levels compared with placebo.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 15 women · 2018Midlife womenCited 5 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did acute morning or evening HIIT cycling sprints; irisin, insulin and glucose rose after exercise regardless of time of day, with higher irisin in the evening.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 52 women · 2025PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
In 98 overweight postmenopausal women, 3 months of diet with or without exercise produced weight and fat loss that was linked to baseline sex hormone binding globulin rather than initial fat distribution.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 98 women · 12 weeks · 1995PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
In 20 postmenopausal women, resistance exercise combined with estrogen therapy appeared to counteract lower resting muscle protein synthesis seen in estrogen users compared to non-users.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 20 women · 2012PostmenopausalCited 59 timesPubMed
In 35 untrained perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, 10 weeks of resistance training with or without leucine supplementation increased visceral fat and fat-free mass and altered adipokine levels in both groups.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 35 women · 10 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 3 timesPubMed
Eleven active postmenopausal women on oral or transdermal estrogen did 45-minute exercise tests; estradiol rose during exercise only with transdermal estrogen, growth hormone, cortisol and insulin changed in both.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 11 women · 2002PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
In 234 healthy postmenopausal women over 24 months, a plant based diet intervention lowered estradiol levels, while a physical activity intervention alone showed no effect on sex hormones.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 234 women · 104 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome did 12 weeks of water-based rhythmic exercise three times weekly, and researchers reported reduced fasting blood sugar and insulin along with thyroid hormone changes.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 31 women · 12 weeks · 2021PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
In a 17 week trial of high protein diet with or without strength training, women showed more altered oxidative stress markers, suggesting lower estrogen secretion during menopause.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 116 women · 17 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
In 22 postmenopausal women on or off hormone therapy, a 3-week low-fat, high-fiber diet with aerobic exercise raised SHBG and lowered insulin, BMI and cholesterol.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 22 women · 3 weeks · 2000PostmenopausalCited 48 timesPubMed
In 267 postmenopausal women, higher physical activity was associated with lower estrone, estradiol and androstenedione levels, independent of BMI.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 267 women · 2006PostmenopausalCited 235 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women did 13 weeks of moderate walking training; it lowered inflammatory TNF-alpha and cortisol/DHEA-S ratio and reduced cardiovascular measures regardless of ACE gene type.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 36 women · 13 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 27 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did a 12-week fitness walking program and showed improved triglycerides, blood pressure, blood sugar, waist circumference and HDL versus controls who worsened.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 30 women · 12 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
In menopausal women, 8 weeks of walking or bone joint exercise increased estrogen and bone mineral density and decreased RANKL and PTH compared to a control group.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 8 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 3 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal obese women, aerobic and resistance exercise both reduced weight, body fat and waist circumference and increased maximum oxygen uptake and knee muscle strength, with no change in estrogen.
No difference foundControlled trial · 30 women · 2018PostmenopausalCited 20 timesPubMed
In 16 postmenopausal women, 30 minutes of treadmill exercise raised DHEA and cortisol levels, with hormone therapy users showing higher DHEA and cortisol responses than untreated women.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 16 women · 1997PostmenopausalCited 34 timesPubMed
Middle-aged women with subclinical hypothyroidism or obesity did 12 weeks of combined resistance and aerobic training, improving body fat, fitness and blood pressure but not thyroid hormones or lipids.
No difference foundControlled trial · 40 women · 12 weeks · 2019Midlife womenCited 15 timesPubMed
In 72 postmenopausal women, 16 weeks of aerobic exercise alone or combined with whole-body vibration improved working-memory accuracy and brain signal markers, with vibration showing broader effects.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 72 women · 16 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Fifteen postmenopausal women did 30 minutes of treadmill exercise and researchers found leptin declined similarly over time regardless of hormone therapy use or exercise.
No difference foundControlled trial · 15 women · 1999PostmenopausalCited 24 timesPubMed
Sixty-four postmenopausal women received self-care education combined with laughter yoga, which authors reported reduced menopausal symptoms, perceived stress, and salivary cortisol compared to controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 64 women · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Seventy obese postmenopausal women did 12 weeks of high intensity interval training plus mindfulness breathing, which reported reduced weight, insulin resistance, cholesterol and tumor marker levels compared with controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 70 women · 12 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalPubMed
In a trial of 58 overweight or obese postmenopausal women, a single high-intensity interval cycling session raised myonectin and fat-related blood markers and lowered triglycerides regardless of morning or evening timing.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 58 women · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 30 minutes of treadmill exercise, and those on hormone therapy showed higher growth hormone release than those not on hormone therapy, with similar prolactin responses.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 17 women · 1998PostmenopausalCited 21 timesPubMed
In a 12-week trial, sedentary postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes who did combined aerobic and resistance training showed increased adropin levels and reduced arterial stiffness compared with usual care.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 12 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
In 302 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 74 from an exercise trial, one-year changes in IGF-I were linked to small changes in mammographic breast density.
Mixed resultsCohort study · 302 women · 52 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women using or not using hormone therapy did a single bout of eccentric leg exercise, and muscle estrogen receptor gene expression changed more in the hormone therapy group.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 14 women · 2010PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
In 16 postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis, 10 weeks of yoga classes reduced pain and depression scores and improved balance, with no significant change in cortisol patterns.
No difference foundBefore-and-after study · 16 women · 10 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 38 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women followed a low-fat high-fiber diet with daily exercise classes for 2 weeks, reducing serum estradiol, insulin and IGF-I levels.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 38 women · 2 weeks · 2006PostmenopausalCited 34 timesPubMed
Thirty-two postmenopausal women did three months of moderate walking training and researchers found increased DHEA-S and decreased TNF-alpha and cortisol to DHEA-S ratio.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 32 women · 12 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 26 timesPubMed
A quasi-experimental trial found 6 to 24 months of Shivam Yoga practice in women aged 40-65 reduced climacteric symptom scores and increased estrogen and testosterone levels versus controls.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 182 women · 104 weeks · 2026Midlife womenPubMed
Over 24 months, climacteric women practicing yoga showed reduced BMI, body fat, blood pressure and fasting glucose, and higher HDL and estradiol, compared with sedentary controls.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 182 women · 104 weeks · 2026Midlife womenPubMed
In 46 postmenopausal women with anxiety-depressive symptoms, a one-month spa program based on physical activity was linked to increased adrenal steroid levels and reduced neurotic symptoms.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 46 women · 4 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed
In peri- and postmenopausal women, 10 weeks of resistance training increased muscle strength and lowered a neuromuscular degradation marker in postmenopausal participants.
Direction not statedBefore-and-after study · 35 women · 10 weeks · 2020Midlife womenCited 12 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity, 6 months of aerobic exercise plus weight loss produced 8% weight loss but no significant change in cortisol levels.
No difference foundControlled trial · 60 women · 26 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalPubMed
In 51 postmenopausal women, a 13-week supervised walking program reduced the plasma cortisol to DHEA-S ratio, a marker linked to metabolic health, mainly among those with highest adherence.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 51 women · 13 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 11 timesPubMed
In 493 women, higher moderate to vigorous and light physical activity, including aerobic activity and weight training, was linked to lower estradiol and higher SHBG levels.
Mixed resultsCross-sectional study · 493 women · 2019Midlife womenCited 6 timesPubMed
In 23 obese pre- and postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of resistance exercise reduced weight and body fat and changed adipose tissue lipolysis protein levels, differing by menopausal status.
Mixed resultsBefore-and-after study · 23 women · 12 weeks · 2021Midlife womenCited 11 timesPubMed
Ninety middle-aged Korean women with obesity did three months of aerobic exercise training and researchers found improved body composition, blood pressure, cholesterol and adiponectin levels.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 90 women · 12 weeks · 2013Midlife womenCited 9 timesPubMed
In 39 sedentary overweight postmenopausal women, 4 months of walking training reduced fat mass and leptin levels and increased maximal oxygen consumption among adherent participants.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 39 women · 16 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 11 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 9 months of resistance training, and those who gained more trunk fat had higher IL-6 and failed to gain muscle mass, unlike those with less trunk fat gain.
Direction not statedBefore-and-after study · 22 women · 36 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 12 timesPubMed
Seven obese postmenopausal women completed a 12 week diet and exercise program and showed reduced body fat, higher fitness, and lower serum and breast ductal estradiol levels.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 7 women · 12 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 11 timesPubMed
Nine postmenopausal women performed a single bout of maximal eccentric leg resistance exercise, and researchers found increased IGF-1 gene expression but no change in PGC-1alpha isoforms in muscle.
Mixed resultsBefore-and-after study · 9 women · 2016PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
This review reported that postmenopausal women may have reduced muscle response to resistance training due to low oestrogen, contributing to sarcopenia risk.
Direction not statedOther · 2018PostmenopausalCited 127 timesPubMed
Twenty-nine postmenopausal women did 24 weeks of alternating aerobic and resistance training, which increased limb bone density and circulating irisin while waist circumference decreased.
Mixed resultsBefore-and-after study · 29 women · 24 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed
A review discussed how testosterone, estrogen, growth hormone and IGF-1 interact with resistance training to regulate muscle mass, noting estrogen's role changes with menopause.
Direction not statedOther · 2020Midlife womenCited 89 timesPubMed
This study design paper describes a planned year long trial comparing high versus moderate volume aerobic exercise in inactive postmenopausal women, with results not yet reported.
Direction not statedOther · 400 women · 52 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 29 timesPubMed
A review described a controlled trial where a 1 year moderate-intensity aerobic exercise program lowered estrogen, testosterone and insulin in overweight, sedentary postmenopausal women.
Reported an improvementOther · 52 weeks · 2007PostmenopausalCited 74 timesPubMed
In nine healthy postmenopausal women, two treadmill sessions before meals lowered fasting blood glucose by about 20% over 16 hours, but sessions after meals did not.
Mixed resultsOther · 9 women · 2009PostmenopausalCited 23 timesPubMed
A review of RCTs found aerobic exercise decreased testosterone while resistance training increased it in postmenopausal women, with unclear links to cardiovascular health.
Mixed resultsOther · 2023PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed