Yoga for Menopause

Yoga is emerging as a holistic strategy to ease the physical and emotional challenges of menopause. By integrating postures, breathing techniques, and meditation, yoga offers a non-pharmacological approach to reduce menopausal symptoms, improve sleep quality, lower stress, and even positively influence metabolic and cardiovascular health across different menopausal stages.

Protocols Studied in Research

Yoga for Menopausal Symptoms and Sleep [1]

• Protocol: In this randomized controlled trial with 208 women (104 in the intervention group, 104 controls), participants practiced yoga for 20 weeks. Menopausal symptoms were measured using the Menopause Rating Scale, and sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, alongside evaluations of depression, anxiety, stress, and perceived social support.
• Outcome: Yoga significantly decreased menopausal symptoms—most notably in postmenopausal women (mean score 14.98 ± 7.10) and, to a lesser extent, perimenopausal women (6.11 ± 2.07). Sleep quality improved significantly in postmenopausal and perimenopausal women (p < 0.001), whereas no significant change was noted in premenopausal women.

Yoga for Menopause Symptoms [2]

• Protocol: In this randomized controlled study, 62 menopausal women (ages 40–60) were allocated to either a yoga intervention group or a control group. The yoga group practiced 60 minutes of yoga twice weekly for 10 weeks. Menopausal symptoms were measured pre- and post-intervention using the Menopause Rating Scale.
• Outcome: The yoga group experienced a significant reduction in total MRS scores—from a median of 16 (range 11–21) pretest to 5 (range 3–9) posttest (P < 0.05), with significant improvements in psychological, somatic, and urogenital subscale scores.

Hatha Yoga for Menopause Symptoms and Improves Quality of Life [3]

• Protocol: Eighty‐eight postmenopausal women were randomized for a 12‑week trial into three groups: control (no intervention), exercise, and yoga. Outcomes were measured using the Menopause Rating Scale, stress and depression inventories, and quality of life questionnaires, with additional physiological assessments (cortisol, FSH, LH, progesterone, and estradiol levels).
• Outcome: At 12 weeks, the yoga group demonstrated significantly lower menopausal symptoms, stress, and depression scores and higher quality of life compared to the control and exercise groups. Additionally, both the yoga and exercise groups showed decreased FSH and LH levels compared to controls, while the control group exhibited a significant rise in cortisol.

Laughter Yoga for Menopause Symptoms and Quality of Life [4]

• Protocol: This randomized controlled trial included 146 postmenopausal women allocated to four groups: acupressure (41), laughter yoga (31), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) (37), and control (37). Acupressure was administered twice weekly (16 sessions total), while laughter yoga and MBSR were provided once weekly for 8 sessions. Menopausal symptoms and quality of life were assessed using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale (MENQOL).
• Outcome: All three intervention groups experienced significant reductions in total MRS scores compared to the control (acupressure: −5.46 points; laughter yoga: −3.16 points; MBSR: −4.65 points, all p < 0.05). The laughter yoga and acupressure groups showed significant improvements across all MENQOL subscales, while the MBSR group improved significantly only in the psychosocial domain.

Yoga for Metabolic Syndrome and Cardiovascular Risk in Climacteric Women [5]

• Protocol: In this 24‑week randomized controlled trial, 84 sedentary climacteric women (aged 40–65) diagnosed with metabolic syndrome were randomized to either a yoga intervention or a control group. The study assessed the frequency of metabolic syndrome, its individual components (waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and glucose), and cardiovascular risk markers (hs-CRP, Lipid Accumulation Product, Visceral Adiposity Index, Atherogenic Index of Plasma) at baseline and after 24 weeks.
• Outcome: Yoga practice resulted in a significant reduction in the frequency of metabolic syndrome (from 93.0% in controls to 65.9% in the yoga group, p = 0.002) and improvements in individual metabolic parameters, including lower waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and glucose. Additionally, hs-CRP and LAP values decreased significantly, indicating a reduced cardiovascular risk profile.

Effect of Yoga on Menopausal Symptoms [6]

• Protocol: In this prospective, randomized, controlled interventional study, menopausal women were assigned to either a yoga group or a control group. The yoga intervention, which included asana, pranayama, and meditation, was conducted under supervision for 3 months. Menopausal symptoms were measured using the Total Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and its subscales (somatovegetative, psychological, and urogenital) at baseline (day 1) and at the end of the study (day 90).
• Outcome: On day 90, the yoga group demonstrated statistically significant reductions in the total MRS score and all subscale scores compared to baseline, whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group. These findings support yoga as an effective alternative therapy for reducing menopausal symptoms.

Research Interpretation: Summary and Conclusion

In simple terms, these studies suggest that yoga significantly alleviates menopausal symptoms and enhances sleep quality—especially in postmenopausal and perimenopausal women. Beyond reducing physical and psychological discomfort, yoga also helps lower stress, depression, and cardiovascular risk factors.

Overall, yoga stands out as a safe and effective complementary therapy for improving quality of life during the menopausal transition.

Publications

[1] Susanti HD, Sonko I, Chang PC, Chuang YH, Chung MH. Effects of yoga on menopausal symptoms and sleep quality across menopause statuses: A randomized controlled trial. Nurs Health Sci. 2022 Jun;24(2):368-379. doi: 10.1111/nhs.12931. Epub 2022 Mar 21. PMID: 35191141.

[2] Abiç A, Yilmaz Vefikuluçay D. The Effect of Yoga on Menopause Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Holist Nurs Pract. 2024 May-Jun 01;38(3):138-147. doi: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000646. Epub 2024 May 6. PMID: 38709129.

[3] Jorge MP, Santaella DF, Pontes IM, Shiramizu VK, Nascimento EB, Cabral A, Lemos TM, Silva RH, Ribeiro AM. Hatha Yoga practice decreases menopause symptoms and improves quality of life: A randomized controlled trial. Complement Ther Med. 2016 Jun;26:128-35. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2016.03.014. Epub 2016 Mar 22. PMID: 27261993.

[4] Koca HU, Kucukkelepce DS, Nacar G, Çetin NS, Taşhan ST. The effects of acupressure, laughter yoga, and a mindfulness-based stress reduction program applied to postmenopausal women for menopause symptoms and quality of life. Menopause. 2024 Oct 1;31(10):879-886. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000002402. Epub 2024 Sep 3. PMID: 39226408.

[5] Cota E Souza LA, Gouvea TM, Fernandes FC, Carrillo MRGG, Veloso VM, Santos Filho AF, Lima AA. Yoga practice can reduce metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk in climacteric women. J Behav Med. 2024 Feb;47(1):94-101. doi: 10.1007/s10865-023-00420-y. Epub 2023 Jun 9. PMID: 37294473.

[6] Joshi S, Khandwe R, Bapat D, Deshmukh U. Effect of yoga on menopausal symptoms. Menopause Int. 2011 Sep;17(3):78-81. doi: 10.1258/mi.2011.011020. PMID: 21903710.