Breast cancer surgery patients did an 8-month exercise program delivered face to face or by phone, reporting better quality of life, fitness and fatigue than usual care, with no difference in other side effects.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 194 women · 32 weeks · 2013Midlife womenCited 146 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did exercise plus Mediterranean diet, with or without soy isoflavones, for 24 months; the soy group showed greater drops in fat mass, glucose, insulin and inflammation markers.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 65 women · 104 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 30 timesPubMed
A 12-month supervised program of cardiorespiratory, stretching and strengthening exercise in menopausal women aged 55 to 72 improved quality of life and menopausal symptoms versus a control group that worsened.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 48 women · 52 weeks · 2006Midlife womenCited 32 timesPubMed
In 112 women aged 45 to 60, a 16-week supervised multicomponent exercise program reduced menopause-related symptom and vasomotor symptom scores more than counseling alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 112 women · 16 weeks · 2022Midlife womenCited 16 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 6 months of mixed exercise with or without phytoestrogens; quality of life scores improved only in the group combining exercise with phytoestrogens, menopausal symptoms unchanged in both.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 40 women · 26 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 21 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 1 year of aerobic and resistance exercise with or without soy isoflavones, and both groups showed similar improvements in quality of life and climacteric symptoms.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 31 women · 52 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, 10 weeks of combined aerobic and resistance training reduced climacteric symptoms, with no added benefit from isoflavone supplementation.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 32 women · 10 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 12 timesPubMed
Perimenopausal and early postmenopausal cancer survivors doing a year of aerobic and resistance exercise reported better quality of life at 6 months if taking aromatase inhibitors, but no difference in symptoms overall.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 154 women · 52 weeks · 2019Midlife womenCited 7 timesPubMed
Peri and postmenopausal Nigerian women did a 12 week endurance exercise circuit, which improved quality of life and reduced back pain compared with no change in controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 175 women · 12 weeks · 2011Midlife womenCited 7 timesPubMed
Previously sedentary postmenopausal women aged 45 to 64 who completed a 20-week exercise plus health promotion program reported improved quality of life, mental well-being, weight, fitness and flexibility versus controls, sustained to 12 months.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
In 54 menopausal women, combining time-restricted eating with resistance and endurance circuit training reduced menopausal symptoms and improved quality of life more than exercise alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 54 women · 2025Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
Thirty-eight postmenopausal women with hot flushes did 12 weeks of combined resistance and walking exercise, and reported reduced vasomotor symptom severity and improved sleep and mood versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 36 women · 12 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
Over 16 weeks, 70 postmenopausal women did jazz dance or concurrent training; menopausal symptoms improved over time in all groups, including controls, with no difference between groups.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 70 women · 16 weeks · 2026Early postmenopausalPubMed
In 66 early postmenopausal women, eight weeks of combined aerobic and resistance training, delivered in person or via app, reduced menopausal symptoms, fatigue, and improved sleep versus education alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 66 women · 8 weeks · 2026Early postmenopausalPubMed
A planned 16-week, 3 sessions per week exercise program in 150 perimenopausal women will assess cost-effectiveness and effects on fitness, sleep and menopause symptoms, results not yet reported.
Direction not statedOther · 150 women · 16 weeks · 2015PerimenopausalCited 18 timesPubMed
22 menopausal women completed a 12-week workplace exercise programme of body conditioning, Zumba Gold, Pilates and HIIT, with authors reporting favourable changes in body fat, fitness, menopause symptoms and mental health.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 22 women · 12 weeks · 2026Midlife womenPubMed