Evidence library · Quality of life

Does other exercise affect quality of life in menopause? What 15 studies found

Studies of other exercise in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women that measured quality of life. 12 reported an improvement and 1 found no difference against the comparison group.

  1. A review of seven trials with 400 women found exercise therapies showed very uncertain or little effect on joint pain, stiffness, grip strength or quality of life from aromatase inhibitor side effects.

    Mixed resultsMeta-analysis · 400 participants pooled · 2020PostmenopausalCited 36 timesPubMed

  2. A meta-analysis of five RCTs in postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis found exercise improved physical function but did not differ from control for pain or stiffness.

    Direction not statedMeta-analysis · 2024PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed

  3. A meta-analysis of 15 trials in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors with metabolic syndrome found medically supervised exercise reduced inflammatory markers and improved quality of life and lymphedema.

    Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,197 participants pooled · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed

  4. Late perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women did an 8-week mindfulness training program, and reported bother from hot flashes decreased more than with a wait-list control.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 110 women · 12 weeks · 2011Midlife womenCited 110 timesPubMed

  5. A systematic review of nine studies using virtual reality exercise games in climacteric women found improvements in pelvic floor strength, balance, cardiorespiratory fitness and bone density versus conventional approaches.

    Reported an improvementSystematic review · 298 participants pooled · 2022PerimenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed

  6. Postmenopausal women with osteoporotic vertebral fractures did a structured exercise program twice weekly for 12 months and showed better quality of life, balance and functional mobility than controls.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 78 women · 52 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 39 timesPubMed

  7. Menopausal women aged 45 to 59 practiced Rusie Dutton traditional Thai exercise for 13 weeks and showed significant improvements in fitness, flexibility, blood pressure and quality of life versus controls.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 50 women · 13 weeks · 2014Midlife womenCited 20 timesPubMed

  8. Postmenopausal women with fibromyalgia who did 6 weeks of exercise with or without added whole-body vibration both improved quality of life and strength, with greater strength gains in the vibration group.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 6 weeks · 2010PostmenopausalCited 24 timesPubMed

  9. Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis did ten sessions of group-adapted physical exercises versus a home exercise booklet, and reported reduced back pain and better quality of life maintained at 6 months.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 60 women · 2014PostmenopausalCited 15 timesPubMed

  10. In 146 postmenopausal women, 8 sessions of laughter yoga, acupressure, or mindfulness-based stress reduction each reduced menopause rating scale scores and improved quality of life versus controls.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 146 women · 8 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed

  11. In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis doing an 18 month exercise program, individually coached and group coached training showed similar improvements in physical function and activity levels.

    No difference foundRandomised trial · 52 women · 78 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed

  12. An RCT of 51 middle-aged women with chronic low back pain found core stability and postural control training both reduced pain and disability, with postural training also improving proprioception.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 51 women · 2026Midlife womenPubMed

  13. 46 middle-aged women with urinary incontinence did 8 weeks of either a body technique program or pelvic floor muscle training, and both groups reported increased pelvic floor strength and improved quality of life.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 46 women · 8 weeks · 2025Midlife womenPubMed

  14. Perimenopausal women received a 12-week combined traditional Chinese medicine program including tai chi, herbs and counseling, and menopause-specific quality of life scores improved.

    Reported an improvementControlled trial · 12 weeks · 2011PerimenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed

  15. In interviews, 18 women aged 40 to 60 described using strength training, yoga and cold-water immersion to navigate menopause, reporting symptom relief, self-awareness and identity development.

    Reported an improvementOther · 18 women · 2026Midlife womenPubMed

How to read this. Each line is one study, summarised in plain language from its PubMed abstract, with the authors' own sentence underneath on the study page. A count of studies is not a verdict: trials differ in size, length and quality, and a result in one group of women may not hold in another. Nothing here is medical advice.

Summaries are generated, then checked by machine against the abstract they came from; any summary that could not be matched word for word was left out. Our clinical lead is reviewing the summaries topic by topic, and this note will change when that is done. Corpus last refreshed 2026-11-03. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix the summary or remove the study.

Other exercise types and quality of life