SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2025
Effects of physical activity on depressive and anxiety symptoms of women in the menopausal transition and menopause: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- FIGO best practice recommendations for the mental health of women at menopausal age.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Guideline
- Effects of exercise interventions on depressive symptoms in perimenopausal women in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Optimal doses of different exercise types for improving depressive symptoms in climacteric women: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of different physical activity interventions on depressive symptoms in menopausal women: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Exercise as a therapeutic strategy for depression in menopausal women: a metaanalysis of randomized trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Association of physical activity with motoric cognitive risk syndrome among the middle-aged and older adults in China.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Frequency and perceived influence of menopausal symptoms on training and performance in female endurance athletes.PloS one · 2025Article
- Menopausal hormone therapy and exercise on psychosocial well-being and stress in menopausal women.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDepression and anxiety may significantly affect women in the menopausal transition and menopause. In addition to traditional treatment strategies such as hormone therapy, antidepressants, and psychotherapy, physical activity (PA) have been increasingly studied, but there is no consensus about their role in menopausal women with depression and anxiety.
objectiveThe current study aimed to evaluate the effect of PA on the severity of depressive (DS) and anxiety (AS) symptoms in women during the menopausal transition and menopause.
methodsWe searched for relevant published studies in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL prior to 8 April 2024, focusing on randomized controlled trials documenting the effect of physical activity on DS and AS, and assessed study quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
resultsThe data used for meta-analysis were derived from 21 studies (DS, n = 9; AS, n = 1; DS and AS combined, n = 11) involving 2020 participants. The results showed that PA groups demonstrated a statistically significant effect of depressive symptoms versus controls (DS [SMD: -0.66, 95% CI: -0.99 to -0.33; P < 0.001]; AS [SMD: -0.55, 95% CI: -0.82 to -0.27; P < 0.001]). As subgroup analyses demonstrated, physical exercise also reduced depressive symptom of women in menopausal status (SMD =-0.56, 95% CI: -0.96 to - 0.17, p = 0.006, I
conclusionPhysical activities with low to moderate intensity can impart remarkable improvements for managing menopausal women with depression and anxiety.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.