Investigation of the Effects of Pilates Exercises on Menopause Symptoms and Sexual Dysfunction in Postmenopausal Women

Investigation of the Effects of Pilates Exercises on Menopausal Symptoms and Sexual Dysfunction in Postmenopausal Women

Menopause represents a major transition in a woman's life as estrogen and progesterone levels decline, and this hormonal shift is associated with a range of symptoms that can significantly impact a woman's quality of life, including vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, and urogenital symptoms such as vaginal dryness and sexual dysfunction.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Menopausal Syndrome; Sexual Dysfunctions; Quality of Life and Menopause
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: PİLATES GROUP; Other: Behavioral: lifestyle changes

Detailed Description

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Pilates exercises on menopausal symptoms and sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women. The research seeks to understand how an 8-week Pilates program, conducted twice a week, influences the quality of life and sexual function during the postmenopausal period. A total of 30 postmenopausal women were included in this study, divided into a Pilates group and a control group. The Pilates group participated in an 8-week Pilates exercise program, while the control group received no exercise intervention but attended menopause information sessions. Data were collected using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), the Menopausal-Specific Quality of Life Scale (MENQOL), and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) before and after the intervention. Body Mass Index (BMI) was recorded, but not used in the primary analysis.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Batman, Turkey, 72000
    • Batman University
  • Batman, Turkey
    • Türkiye
  • Gültepe
    • Batman, Gültepe, Turkey, 72000
      • Batman Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women who have reached menopause
• Being physically or cognitively competent to exercise
• Those who agreed to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Those with serious heart disease, DM, kidney, liver, thyroid disease and cancer patients
• Those receiving hormone therapy
• People using antipsychotic medication
• Those using steroids and derivative drugs
• People using insulin sensitizing drugs Those with musculoskeletal system diseases that would prevent them from exercising Cognitive problems that affect cooperation

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: pilates group; The Pilates intervention group participated in an 8-week Pilates exercise program. The program consisted of sessions held twice a week, each lasting approximately 60 minutes. The Pilates exercises focused on core stability, flexibility, balance, and controlled breathing, and were tailored to accommodate the fitness levels of the participants. Each session was conducted by a certified Pilates instructor who ensured proper technique and safety during the exercises	Other: PİLATES GROUP; A total of 16 sessions were applied for 8 weeks, 2 sessions per week.
Active Comparator: group that includes lifestyle changes; . The control group did not engage in any structured exercise program during the 8-week period. Instead, they attended a menopause information session where they received education on menopause-related issues, including symptom management, lifestyle modifications, and general health tips for postmenopausal women.	Other: Behavioral: lifestyle changes; presentation including lifestyle changes was prepared and training was provided.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Menopause Rating Scale (MRS)	This scale was used to assess the severity of menopausal symptoms experienced by the participants. The MRS covers a range of symptoms, including vasomotor, psychological, and urogenital symptoms. Participants rated the severity of each symptom on a Likert scale, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. The total score of the scale is calculated with the scores obtained from each item. The lowest score calculated from the scale is "0" while the highest score is "44". The scale covering menopausal symptoms consists of 11 items and 3 sub-dimensions. The sub-dimensions are somatic complaints (items 1, 2, 3 and 11), psychological complaints (items 4, 5, 6 and 7), urogenital complaints (items 8, 9 and 10). An increase in the total score obtained from the scale indicates an increase in the severity of the complaints experienced and, in addition, a negative impact on the quality of life.	8 week
Menopausal-Specific Quality of Life Scale (MENQOL)	This scale measures the impact of menopausal symptoms on quality of life across several domains, including physical, psychological, and sexual well-being. The MENQOL provides a comprehensive assessment of how menopausal symptoms affect daily life, with higher scores indicating a greater negative impact.MENQOL is a Likert-type scale containing 32 questions. It consists of four sub-areas: vasomotor, psychosocial, physical and sexual. Each sub-area score in MENQOL is ranked from 1 to 8. A score of one indicates that no problem is experienced regarding that issue, a score of two indicates that the issue exists, is experienced but is not disturbing at all, while scores between 3 and 8 indicate the severity and increasing degrees of the existing problem. The maximum score is 256, and the minimum score is 32.	8 week
Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI)	The FSFI was used to evaluate sexual function, focusing on domains such as sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Participants were asked to rate their experiences in each domain over the past 4 weeks. Higher FSFI scores indicate better sexual function.The highest raw score that can be obtained from the survey is 95, and the lowest is 4. The total score obtained from the survey shows that there is an improvement in all parameters as the scores obtained from the parameters of sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and general satisfaction increase.	8 week

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Batman University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: YİĞİT KOCAMER MERVE, Batman University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 15, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 5, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): October 10, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 17, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 19, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 19, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Quality of life; postmenopause; pilates; menopausal syndrome; sexual dysfunctions
• Other Study ID Numbers: BAU-FTR-MYK-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No