Sexual dysfunction was found to be substantially influenced by sociodemographic, biologic, and behavioral variables.

Climacteric symptoms seem to influence the sexual function in middle-aged women.

Objective: to evaluate the relationship between levels of physical activity, fatigue and quality of life (QOL) in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Methods: 215 women between the ages of 40 and 65 years were recruited at a cancer clinic. Physical activity levels were assessed by using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), fatigue levels by using the revised Piper scale, and QOL by means of EORTC QLQ-C30 and WHOQOL-Bref. Statistical analysis was performed using Minitab statistical software, version 16. Results: the mean age of subjects was 52.66 years (SD=8.6); patients were mostly white (58.14%) and overweight (55.81%). Most women were fatigued (72.09%) while physically active women showed lower symptoms of fatigue (p<0.001). Mean scores for QOL were significantly lower among fatigued women (p<0.001). More active women scored higher on all scales of QOL (EORTC), especially for functional capacity (p<0.001), compared with the sedentary patients. A significant association was found between level of physical activity and overall QOL (WHOQOL-Bref) for all domains (p<0.001). Climacteric symptoms ranged from mild to strong and did not show any statistically significant results; however, the most active women had the fewest symptoms. Conclusion: physical activity appears to positively influence fatigue and QOL in women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between physical activity level and sexual function in middle-aged women. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a sample of 370 middle-aged women (40-65 years old), treated at public health care facilities in a Brazilian city. A questionnaire was used containing enquiries on sociodemographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics: the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), short form, and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Results:The average age of the women studied was 49.8 years (± 8.1), 67% of whom exhibited sexual dysfunction (FSFI ≤ 26.55). Sedentary women had a higher prevalence (78.9%) of sexual dysfunction when compared to active (57.6%) and moderately active (66.7%) females (p = 0.002). Physically active women obtained higher score in all FSFI domains (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain) and total FSFI score (20.9), indicating better sexual function than their moderately active (18.8) and sedentary (15.6) counterparts (p <0.05). Conclusion: Physical activity appears to influence sexual function positively in middle-aged women.

Physical activity improved climacteric symptoms among middle-aged women in Brazil.