Global app data shows physical activity frequency reduces perimenopause symptoms across international populations, according to research presented at The Menopause Society Annual Meeting.
- Symptom Reduction: Increasing physical activity correlates with measurable drops in total Menopause Rating Scale scores.
- Low Barrier to Entry: Significant relief differences appear even between zero activity and exercising just a few times a month.
- Global Scope: The dataset extends past Western cohorts to include middle- and low-income nations.
Menopause research has historically concentrated on high-income, predominantly European and US populations. A new dataset from the Flo menstrual-cycle tracking app broadens that demographic scope.
Liudmila Zhaunova reported that the study reached global samples by incorporating users from middle- and low-income countries. Those regions include the Philippines, South Africa, Nigeria, and Brazil, spanning multiple languages.
Mean total Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) scores fell as activity increased. Scores dropped from 17.46 among sedentary individuals to 13.77 among those active 5 or more days per week with a P value under .001. That same inverse pattern held across somatic, psychological, and urogenital domains.
| Exercise Frequency | Mean Total MRS Score | Statistical Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Not physically active | 17.46 | Reference group |
| Active 5+ days/week | 13.77 | P < .001 |
Researchers adjusted the data for multiple potential confounders including age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, comorbidities, healthcare access, and country-level Socio-Demographic Index. After these adjustments, higher activity remained inversely associated with total MRS scores, showing a beta coefficient of −0.57 with a P value under .001.
According to Zhaunova, the most heartening discovery was that the most substantial gap in symptom severity surfaced between females who performed zero exercise and those who worked out merely a handful of times per month.
“If you are not physically active, even small increases in your everyday activity could be really beneficial,” Zhaunova said, adding that a few times per week or month “is already better than none.”
She mentioned that these findings could guide subsequent investigations into whether physical fitness can function as a drug-free strategy for managing perimenopause.
Zhaunova pointed out a major constraint regarding the conclusions: because the participants consisted of individuals using a menstrual tracking application, the cohort might not accurately reflect the entirety of women within each nation.
- Cunningham A, Castillo Silva J, Hewings-Martin Y, et al. Physical activity frequency and perimenopause symptom burden: global insights from the Flo app. Presented at: The Menopause Society Annual Meeting. October 20-24, 2026. San Diego, California.
