Effects of Physical Exercise on Sexual Function and Quality of Sexual Life Related to Menopausal Symptoms in Peri- and Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review

Abstract

During the menopausal period, sexual dysfunction is associated with the development or worsening of psychological conditions, causing deterioration in women’s mental health and quality of life. This systematic review aims to investigate the effects of different exercise programs on sexual function and quality of sexual life related to menopausal symptoms. With this purpose, a systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Plus. A total of 1787 articles were identified in the initial search and 11 prospective studies (including 8 randomized controlled trials) were finally included. The most commonly recommended training programs are based on exercising pelvic floor muscles, as they seem to have the largest impact on sexual function. Mind–body disciplines also helped in managing menopausal symptoms. However, as far as the most traditional programs were concerned, aerobic exercises showed inconsistent results and resistance training did not seem to convey any benefits. Although positive effects have been found, evidence supporting physical exercise as a strategy to improve sexual function and quality of sexual life related to menopausal symptoms is limited, and further studies on this topic are needed.

Exercise and Quality of Life in Women with Menopausal Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…The majority of previous systematic reviews focused on menopausal symptoms in terms of frequency and intensity [ 21 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. A recently published meta-analysis only identified an association between physical exercise and quality of life related to menopausal sexual symptoms [ 58 ].…”

“…There was substantial evidence showing the beneficial effects of exercise on oxytocin, cortisol, and estrogen levels, all of which are hormones that affect sexual function and orgasms. However, the association between exercise and sexual symptoms or QoL domains remains inconclusive [ 58 ]. Although regular exercise is theoretically believed to help improve menopausal symptoms and related QoL domains, current evidence of its beneficial effect is generally inconsistent.…”

“…Similar to the main findings of three included studies using PFMT, Cacciari et al [ 69 ] indicated that PFMT can reduce the number of urinary leakage episodes and improve all types of urinary incontinence issues as well as QoL in women with urinary symptoms. Furthermore, Carcelen-Fraile et al [ 58 ] found that PFMT was the most common type of exercise used in studies investigating the effects of physical exercise programs on quality of sexual life related to menopausal symptoms, and it seems most beneficial for sexual function in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women. These findings suggested that PFMT should be prescribed as a conservative therapy for women with urinary symptoms.…”

Effect of Foot Reflexology on Sexual Function of Patients under Hemodialysis: A Randomized Parallel Controlled Clinical Trial

“…Carcelén-Fraile et al (2020) showed that resistance training, unlike aerobic exercise, did not affect female sexual function and quality of sexual life [ 22 ]. It is noteworthy that in previous studies, intervention was done more on the pelvic muscles [ 22 , 44 ] and less on the feet.…”

“…A systematic review of studies on sexual function showed contradictory results of aerobic exercises and no effect of resistance training on patients' sexual functions [ 22 ]. The effect of reflexology was studied on factors such as the severity of fatigue [ 23 ], depression [ 24 ], restless legs syndrome [ 25 ], pain, muscle cramps [ 26 ], sleep quality [ 27 ] of the hemodialysis patients, but no study has investigated the effect of reflexology on sexual function of the hemodialysis patients.…”