Evidence was insufficient to show whether exercise is an effective treatment for vasomotor menopausal symptoms .
One small study suggested that HT is more effective than exercise .
Evidence was insufficient to show the relative effectiveness of exercise when compared with HT or yoga
BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that many perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women will experience menopausal symptoms ; hot flushes are the most common .
Symptoms caused by fluctuating levels of oestrogen may be alleviated by hormone therapy ( HT ) , but a marked global decline in its use has result ed from concerns about the risks and benefits of HT .
Consequently , many women are seeking alternatives .
As large numbers of women are choosing not to take HT , it is increasingly important to identify evidence -based lifestyle modifications that have the potential to reduce vasomotor menopausal symptoms .
OBJECTIVES To examine the effectiveness of any type of exercise intervention in the management of vasomotor symptoms in symptomatic perimenopausal and postmenopausal women .
Quality of life of rural menopausal women in response to a customized exercise programme.
AIM This paper reports a study examining the effects of physical exercise on the quality of life of menopausal women . BACKGROUND People who perform no type of physical activity have poorer physical and mental health . Despite the well-documented benefits of exercise , ageing women remain largely sedentary , and interventions design ed to help them to maintain exercise programmes may prove particularly valuable . Measures should focus on increasing women 's confidence so that they can overcome barriers to exercise . Conflicting results have been reported in intervention studies to promote exercise in postmenopausal women . METHODS Forty-eight menopausal women aged 55 - 72 years were recruited at a primary care centre as voluntary participants in a quasi-experimental study . They were r and omly assigned to one of two groups : control ( n = 24 ) and experimental ( n = 24 ) . The experimental group participated in a 12-month programme of cardiorespiratory , stretching , muscle-strengthening and relaxation exercises carried out during two fully supervised exercise sessions per week ( total of 3 hours weekly ) . Health-related quality of life was assessed by using the Quality of Life Profile for Chronically Ill Patients , a generic question naire widely used in epidemiological and clinical studies to measure well-being and function , incorporating as an optional module the Kupperman Index of Menopausal Symptomatology . RESULTS There was a statistically significant improvement in the health-related quality of life of the experimental group , whereas the health-related quality of life of the control group significantly worsened . Menopausal symptoms also significantly improved in the experimental group and significantly worsened in the control group over the 12-month study period . CONCLUSIONS A customized exercise programme is valuable for improving the health-related quality of life of menopausal women
Evidence was insufficient to show whether exercise is an effective treatment for vasomotor menopausal symptoms .
One small study suggested that HT is more effective than exercise .
Evidence was insufficient to show the relative effectiveness of exercise when compared with HT or yoga
BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that many perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women will experience menopausal symptoms ; hot flushes are the most common .
Symptoms caused by fluctuating levels of oestrogen may be alleviated by hormone therapy ( HT ) , but a marked global decline in its use has result ed from concerns about the risks and benefits of HT .
Consequently , many women are seeking alternatives .
As large numbers of women are choosing not to take HT , it is increasingly important to identify evidence -based lifestyle modifications that have the potential to reduce vasomotor menopausal symptoms .
OBJECTIVES To examine the effectiveness of any type of exercise intervention in the management of vasomotor symptoms in symptomatic perimenopausal and postmenopausal women .