Disclaimer: The information in this article is general in nature and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health professional before starting any exercise programme or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Exercise may help improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression around menopause. A review published in Menopause on 13 October 2026 found benefits for women before and after their periods stopped.
This means exercise may be one part of support for mood symptoms during menopause. The research cannot tell you which activity will help you most, or how quickly you might notice a change.
Who took part in the research?
The UCL-led team brought together 12 exercise trials involving 1,003 women. Participants were aged 40 to 65 and were either approaching menopause or in the early years afterwards.
The time leading up to menopause is called perimenopause. Menopause is confirmed after 12 months without a period, with no other medical reason. The years that follow are called postmenopause.
In these trials, women were assigned by chance to different groups. Researchers compared exercise programmes with another activity programme or the care women usually received.
Which benefits did the trials find?
When researchers combined the results, they found improvements in depression symptoms, mood and quality of life. Symptoms of depression improved both before and after menopause. The other improvements were found in women in early postmenopause.
Quality of life means how people feel about their health and wellbeing in daily life.
Activities that raise your breathing and heart rate, such as walking or dance, were grouped as aerobic exercise. These programmes showed improvements in mood and overall quality of life. Activities combining movement with breathing or body awareness, such as yoga and tai chi, showed improvements in emotional wellbeing.
The findings were encouraging, but the researchers called for stronger trials. The review did not give clear answers for every symptom, including anxiety, thinking difficulties and stress.
Does exercising more often mean fewer symptoms?
A separate international survey asked 1,808 women about their activity and perimenopause symptoms. Participants used the Flo period-tracking app and lived across 87 countries.
Women who reported being active more often also reported less severe symptoms. Researchers from Flo Health and Mayo Clinic shared the findings at The Menopause Society’s October 2026 meeting. These are preliminary conference findings.
The survey gives a snapshot, rather than tracking what happens when women change their exercise habits. Women with fewer symptoms might have found it easier to exercise. It cannot show that exercise caused the difference, or tell us how often or how long to exercise.
How activity fits into menopause support
Australian exercise guidance includes aerobic activity, strength training, and flexibility and balance work during menopause. That can mean combining walking with exercises using weights or resistance bands, plus balance and stretching activities.
Current national movement guidelines for adults aged 18 to 64 include 30 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity on most days. They also include muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days a week. At moderate effort, you can talk but not sing. With vigorous activity, you can only say a few words before pausing for breath.
These targets support general health. They are not an amount shown by these studies to improve mood symptoms during menopause.
Pelvic floor symptoms can also affect activity choices. A pelvic physiotherapist can assess concerns such as bladder leakage or pelvic pain and tailor exercises. You do not need to work out exercise changes on your own.
If you want company, local walking groups provide options to compare by location. Check the pace, duration and meeting details with the organiser before attending.
If you have a chronic condition or disability and have not exercised before, medical guidance recommends speaking with your doctor first. An accredited exercise physiologist is a qualified professional who helps people exercise with health conditions. They can adapt a programme to your health, experience and goals.
Ongoing symptoms deserve attention even if you are active. See your GP if mood symptoms last longer than two weeks, worsen, or affect work, relationships or daily life.
Cover photo: Khanh Do / Unsplash.
