the little-known role of physical activity as we approach menopause

The effect of sport for women is not studied enough. A medical journal alerts the scientific community to the lack of research on this subject, particularly around the age of menopause. Details from Géraldine Zamansky.

A major medical journal opens its pages to a “rant” concerning the too few studies devoted to physical activity in women. Géraldine Zamansky, journalist for the Health Magazine on France 5, returns today to a study which raises the question of this lack of research, particularly in terms of menopause.

franceinfo: Is this lack of research particularly glaring for women who are approaching or going through menopause?

Yes, the authors of this alert have already shown that less than 10% of research devoted to sport and physical activity is only interested in women. And these studies only include 9% of participants aged over 50. While they represent almost half of the entire French female population, for example… The four British and American signatories of this editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicinetherefore call on the scientific community to mobilize urgently.

I guess it’s not just a question of statistical parity?

You are right, this is an urgent question because it is crucial for the health of women facing menopause. Dr Brigitte Letombe, a gynecologist specializing in their care, explained to me how physical activity can reduce the negative impact. Because the cessation of the functioning of the ovaries causes the production of estrogen to drop.

And beyond fertility, these hormones also act on the bones, the skin, the brain, the heart… impossible to mention everything. The main risks are bone weakening, osteoporosis, heart problems, muscle wasting, joint pain, disturbed sleep or even depressive disorder.

And could physical activity fight against these many threats?

Quite. Walking, for example, is beneficial for bones, because the impact with the ground stimulates their regeneration. But also for the heart, especially if the pace is sustained. The muscles of course, and the joints. Without forgetting its effectiveness against depression, like all physical activities. In fact, insists Dr. Letombe, the main thing is to find the one that pleases you. And to start it at least from the first disturbances. We are talking about peri-menopause.

The pitfall is that it often leads to real fatigue. You must resist the call to the couch and not hesitate to consult a specialist to better get through this hormonal revolution, while continuing to move. One in three women may need “compensatory” treatment. But today, less than one in ten of them benefit from it. So the alert can be broadened beyond sports science, we need to better manage menopause.

The study