In the authors' words
“Exercise was associated with significant improvements in menopausal symptomatology (Hedges' g = -2.10; 95% CI [-4.14, -0.06]), health-related quality of life (Hedges' g = 1.41; 95% CI [0.46, 2.36]), anxiety (MD = -1.20; 95% CI [-1.52, -0.88]), and depressive symptoms (MD = -1.17; 95% CI [-1.40, -0.94]) compared with control conditions.”
What was measured
- Menopause symptoms overall Reported an improvement
- Quality of life Reported an improvement
- Mood Reported an improvement
About the study
- Type
- Meta-analysis
- Who took part
- Midlife women
- How many
- 1,050
- Exercise
- General physical activity, Yoga, Tai chi and qigong
- Cited
- 0 times, per Europe PMC
- PubMed ID
- 42520515
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.
Similar studies
- A meta-analysis of 11 trials found low to moderate intensity programmed exercise for 12 weeks to a year reduced depressive symptoms in midlife and older women, with less insomnia reported secondarily.
- A meta-analysis of 13 RCTs with 1306 women found yoga reduced total menopausal symptoms, including vasomotor and psychological symptoms, compared to no treatment, similar to other exercise.
- A meta-analysis of 11 trials found mind-body exercises like tai chi, yoga, and qigong improved bone density, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and fatigue in peri- and postmenopausal women.
- A meta-analysis of 4 trials in 256 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis or osteopenia found exercise programmes improved physical function, pain, role physical and vitality quality-of-life domains.