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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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 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 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
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
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
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
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