High Physical Activity Level May Reduce Menopausal Symptoms.

Area of Science:

• Women's Health
• Menopause Research
• Physical Activity and Health

Background:

• Menopause is a natural life stage characterized by vasomotor, physical, and physiological symptoms impacting quality of life.
• Many women seek alternative methods to alleviate menopausal symptom severity.
• Physical activity (PA) is a recommended non-pharmacological approach for managing menopausal symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between specific domains of physical activity and menopausal symptoms.
• To analyze the relationship between leisure time, work, transportation, and household physical activity and symptom severity.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 305 women aged 40-65, categorized by menopausal status.
• Utilized the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS).
• Data analyzed using Chi-square and ANOVA with post hoc Tukey tests.

Main Results:

• Menopausal stage significantly correlated with total MRS scores and urogenital/somato-vegetative subscores (p < 0.001).
• Physical activity, particularly leisure-time PA, showed a significant association with symptom severity (p < 0.001).
• High PA levels were linked to significantly fewer severe urogenital symptoms (p=0.046).

Conclusions:

• Leisure-time physical activity is associated with reduced menopausal symptoms in Polish women.
• Women with moderate to high PA levels experience less severe menopausal symptoms compared to inactive women.
• Low physical activity at work is linked to more severe somato-vegetative symptoms in middle-aged women.