El ejercicio como medicina: Un enfoque no farmacológico para los síntomas de la menopausia

No intervention

Strength training intervention.

The strength training intervention consists of an 8-week program performed 3 times per week, with sessions lasting ~30 minutes. Designed by a licensed physiotherapist, the program targets major muscle groups and includes a warm-up followed by structured exercises.

Training uses body weight and simple household equipment, such as chairs and filled water bottles, at an intensity of 8-12 repetition maximum. Each exercise has three to four difficulty levels. Before starting, participants test and select an appropriate level for each exercise to ensure correct intensity.

Participants perform at a level allowing at least eight repetitions and progress once they can complete more than twelve. This enables individualized, progressive training. After each session, participants record the difficulty level and number of repetitions in a training diary. For the full-scale intervention, exercise selection, intensity, and volume may be adjusted, and the program will be extended to 15 weeks.

Dance-based training intervention.

Participants in the dance-based intervention will exercise three times per week at moderate intensity, following a structured 30-minute program performed individually at home via pre-recorded sessions.

After each session, participants will complete a training diary and rate perceived exertion using the Borg RPE scale (6-20), targeting at least moderate intensity (RPE ≥ 14), adjusting effort accordingly.

The program was developed and recorded by a licensed physiotherapist, pilot-tested with a small group, and reviewed by a supervising expert who provided feedback. Participants can ask questions and receive guidance on performing the exercises.

For the full-scale intervention, exercise selection, intensity, and volume may be refined, and the program will be conducted over 15 weeks.

The Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) consists of 11 items grouped into three dimensions:

• Somatic Symptoms: Hot flashes, joint pain, and related physical complaints.
• Psychological Symptoms: Depressive mood, irritability, anxiety, and similar issues.
• Urogenital Symptoms: Bladder problems, vaginal dryness, and related concerns. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 (not present) to 4 (very severe). The total score, calculated by summing all items, provides an overall measure of menopausal symptom severity. Thus, total score ranging from 0-44.

Sleep quality is assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), which evaluates seven components: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction. Each component is scored from 0 to 3, and a global score is calculated by summing the components. Higher scores indicate poorer sleep quality. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) generates a global score ranging from 0 to 21, where a score greater than 5 typically indicates poor sleep quality. This threshold serves as a clinical benchmark, with higher scores correlating with increased severity of sleep disturbances.