Exercise and Risk for Early Menopause: The Final Word

Walk. Swim. Lift weights. Doctors are constantly espousing the value of exercise. Staying active will help you sleep better, keep your heart healthy, your joints supple, your mind depression-free and your weight down. Essentially exercise is prescribed as a “one size fits all” treatment. Then, a significant Japanese study nearly turned that concept on its head, at least in regard to women’s health, when the researchers released data linking exercise to early menopause.

Exercise Does Not Lead to Early Menopause.

Before you toss that yoga mat and cancel your gym membership, a new research on physical activity seems to invalidate the findings from the 2012 study. The study, published in “Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society,” tracked the choices of 3,115 premenopausal women for more than 10 years.

At the study’s conclusion, researchers reported that women between the ages of 35-56 who exercised between eight to 10 hours a week were 17 percent more likely to hit menopause in their 40s or earlier, than their sedentary counterparts.

But a 2018 study, says that’s not true.

Don’t Stop Working Out.

Published in “Human Reproduction” and released in August, the new data reveals that physical activity has no negative correlation with menopause. With a total of 107, 275 participants who were followed from 1989 to 2011, the most recent study is much larger and covers a longer timeframe than the previous study. After completing questionnaires every two years, researchers used the data to evaluate the association between physical activity and natural menopause.

The results? Only 2,786 women or 2.5 percent experienced natural menopause before 45. And there were no substantial differences between the women who reported more than four hours of activity compared to women who said they spent less than three hours a week doing some sort of physical activity. Therefore, there appears to be no link between physical activity and early menopause.

Stay Active. Stay Healthy.

Once again, exercise remains king. All those reminders to stay active still ring true. So, hop on your bike or jump on that treadmill – it’s all good for you!

Do you have questions or concerns about menopause? Dr. Ghozland specializes in women’s health and can provide you with a variety of treatment options to help alleviate some of the discomfort caused by menopause. Contact his office to schedule a consultation.