1 1068 90 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AND SLEEP QUALITY ACROSS MENOPAUSE STATUSES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AND SLEEP QUALITY ACROSS MENOPAUSE STATUSES. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE INTERVENTION OR CONTROL GROUP (N = 104 EACH), AND THOSE IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP PRACTICED YOGA FOR 20 WEEKS. THE PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONNAIRES: THE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS SCALE; MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALE OF PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT; MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE; AND PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX. THE RESULTS REVEALED THAT YOGA EFFECTIVELY DECREASED MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, WITH THE STRONGEST EFFECTS NOTED IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN (MEAN +/- STANDARD DEVIATION: 14.98 +/- 7.10), FOLLOWED BY PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN (6.11 +/- 2.07). YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED SLEEP QUALITY IN POSTMENOPAUSAL AND PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN AFTER CONTROLLING FOR SOCIAL SUPPORT, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, STRESS, AND MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (P < 0.001). HOWEVER, YOGA DID NOT AFFECT SLEEP QUALITY IN PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. OVERALL SLEEP QUALITY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN POSTMENOPAUSAL AND PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. OUR DATA INDICATE THAT YOGA CAN HELP DECREASE MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, PARTICULARLY IN PERIMENOPAUSAL AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN, AND IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH. 2022 2 1602 40 MENOPAUSAL QUALITY OF LIFE: RCT OF YOGA, EXERCISE, AND OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTS. OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF 3 NONHORMONAL THERAPIES FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF MENOPAUSE-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS. STUDY DESIGN: WE CONDUCTED A 12-WEEK 3 X 2 RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, FACTORIAL DESIGN TRIAL. PERI- AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN, 40-62 YEARS OLD, WERE ASSIGNED RANDOMLY TO YOGA (N = 107), EXERCISE (N = 106), OR USUAL ACTIVITY (N = 142) AND ALSO ASSIGNED RANDOMLY TO A DOUBLE-BLIND COMPARISON OF OMEGA-3 (N = 177) OR PLACEBO (N = 178) CAPSULES. WE PERFORMED THE FOLLOWING INTERVENTIONS: (1) WEEKLY 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES WITH DAILY AT-HOME PRACTICE, (2) INDIVIDUALIZED FACILITY-BASED AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING 3 TIMES/WEEK, AND (3) 0.615 G OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENT, 3 TIMES/DAY. THE OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED WITH THE FOLLOWING SCORES: MENOPAUSAL QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (MENQOL) TOTAL AND DOMAIN (VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, PSYCHOSOCIAL, PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL). RESULTS: AMONG 355 RANDOMLY ASSIGNED WOMEN WHO AVERAGE AGE WAS 54.7 YEARS, 338 WOMEN (95%) COMPLETED 12-WEEK ASSESSMENTS. MEAN BASELINE VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS FREQUENCY WAS 7.6/DAY, AND THE MEAN BASELINE TOTAL MENQOL SCORE WAS 3.8 (RANGE, 1-8 FROM BETTER TO WORSE) WITH NO BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES. FOR YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL ACTIVITY, BASELINE TO 12-WEEK IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN FOR MENQOL TOTAL -0.3 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -0.6 TO 0; P = .02), VASOMOTOR SYMPTOM DOMAIN (P = .02), AND SEXUALITY DOMAIN (P = .03) SCORES. FOR WOMEN WHO UNDERWENT EXERCISE AND OMEGA-3 THERAPY COMPARED WITH CONTROL SUBJECTS, IMPROVEMENTS IN BASELINE TO 12-WEEK TOTAL MENQOL SCORES WERE NOT OBSERVED. EXERCISE SHOWED BENEFIT IN THE MENQOL PHYSICAL DOMAIN SCORE AT 12 WEEKS (P = .02). CONCLUSION: ALL WOMEN BECOME MENOPAUSAL, AND MANY OF THEM SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE ON WAYS TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE; LITTLE EVIDENCE-BASED INFORMATION EXISTS. WE FOUND THAT, AMONG HEALTHY SEDENTARY MENOPAUSAL WOMEN, YOGA APPEARS TO IMPROVE MENOPAUSAL QUALITY OF LIFE; THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF OUR FINDING IS UNCERTAIN BECAUSE OF THE MODEST EFFECT. 2014 3 111 30 A PILOT STUDY OF A HATHA YOGA TREATMENT FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF A YOGA TREATMENT FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. BOTH PHYSIOLOGIC AND SELF-REPORTED MEASURES OF HOT FLASHES WERE INCLUDED. METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE WITHIN-GROUP PILOT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED. PARTICIPANTS WERE 12 PERI- AND POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN EXPERIENCING AT LEAST 4 MENOPAUSAL HOT FLASHES PER DAY, AT LEAST 4 DAYS PER WEEK. ASSESSMENTS WERE ADMINISTERED BEFORE AND AFTER COMPLETION OF A 10-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM. PRE- AND POST-TREATMENT MEASURES INCLUDED: SEVERITY OF QUESTIONNAIRE-RATED MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (WIKLUND SYMPTOM CHECK LIST), FREQUENCY, DURATION, AND SEVERITY OF HOT FLASHES (24-H AMBULATORY SKIN-CONDUCTANCE MONITORING; HOT-FLASH DIARY), INTERFERENCE OF HOT FLASHES WITH DAILY LIFE (HOT FLASH RELATED DAILY INTERFERENCE SCALE), AND SUBJECTIVE SLEEP QUALITY (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX). YOGA CLASSES INCLUDED BREATHING TECHNIQUES, POSTURES, AND RELAXATION POSES DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO PRACTICE AT HOME 15 MIN EACH DAY IN ADDITION TO WEEKLY CLASSES. RESULTS: ELEVEN WOMEN COMPLETED THE STUDY AND ATTENDED A MEAN OF 7.45 (S.D. 1.63) CLASSES. SIGNIFICANT PRE- TO POST-TREATMENT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND FOR SEVERITY OF QUESTIONNAIRE-RATED TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, HOT-FLASH DAILY INTERFERENCE; AND SLEEP EFFICIENCY, DISTURBANCES, AND QUALITY. NEITHER 24-H MONITORING NOR ACCOMPANYING DIARIES YIELDED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN HOT FLASHES. CONCLUSIONS: THE YOGA TREATMENT AND STUDY PROCEDURES WERE FEASIBLE FOR MIDLIFE WOMEN. IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOM PERCEPTIONS AND WELL BEING WARRANT FURTHER STUDY OF YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, WITH A LARGER NUMBER OF WOMEN AND INCLUDING A CONTROL GROUP. 2007 4 1434 33 IMPROVING VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS; PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS; AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PERI- OR POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN THROUGH YOGA: AN UMBRELLA SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS (VMS), COMMONLY REPORTED DURING MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION, NEGATIVELY AFFECT PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL). WHILE HORMONE THERAPY IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT, ITS USE IS LIMITED BY CONCERNS ABOUT POSSIBLE HARMS. THUS, MANY WOMEN WITH VMS SEEK NONHORMONAL, NONPHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT OPTIONS. HOWEVER, EVIDENCE TO GUIDE CLINICAL RECOMMENDATIONS IS INCONCLUSIVE. THIS STUDY REVIEWED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA, TAI CHI AND QIGONG ON VASOMOTOR, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND HRQOL IN PERI- OR POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. DESIGN: MEDLINE, COCHRANE DATABASE OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS, EMBASE, CINAHL AND THE ALLIED AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE DATABASE WERE SEARCHED. RESEARCHERS IDENTIFIED SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS (SR) OR RCTS THAT EVALUATED YOGA, TAI CHI, OR QIGONG FOR VASOMOTOR, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) IN PERI- OR POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. DATA WERE ABSTRACTED ON STUDY DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES. RISK OF BIAS (ROB) WAS ASSESSED AND UPDATED META-ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED. RESULTS: WE IDENTIFIED ONE HIGH-QUALITY SR (5 RCTS, 582 PARTICIPANTS) AND 3 NEW RCTS (345 PARTICIPANTS) PUBLISHED AFTER THE SR EVALUATING YOGA FOR VASOMOTOR, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND HRQOL; NO STUDIES EVALUATED TAI CHI OR QIGONG. UPDATED META-ANALYSES INDICATE THAT, COMPARED TO CONTROLS, YOGA REDUCED VMS (5 TRIALS, STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) -0.27, 95% CI -0.49 TO -0.05) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS (6 TRIALS, SDM -0.32; 95% CI -0.47 TO -0.17). EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE WERE REPORTED INFREQUENTLY. KEY LIMITATIONS ARE THAT ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE RARELY REPORTED AND OUTCOME MEASURES LACKED STANDARDIZATION. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS FROM THIS META-ANALYSIS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY BE A USEFUL THERAPY TO MANAGE BOTHERSOME VASOMOTOR AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS. 2017 5 923 31 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. OBJECTIVES. TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. METHODS. MEDLINE, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, AND PSYCINFO WERE SCREENED THROUGH APRIL 2012. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) WERE INCLUDED IF THEY ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MAJOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, NAMELY, (1) PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, (2) SOMATIC SYMPTOMS, (3) VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, AND/OR (4) UROGENITAL SYMPTOMS. FOR EACH OUTCOME, STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMDS) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) WERE CALCULATED. TWO AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY ASSESSED RISK OF BIAS USING THE RISK OF BIAS TOOL RECOMMENDED BY THE COCHRANE BACK REVIEW GROUP. RESULTS. FIVE RCTS WITH 582 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE QUALITATIVE REVIEW, AND 4 RCTS WITH 545 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE META-ANALYSIS. THERE WAS MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS (SMD = -0.37; 95% CI -0.67 TO -0.07; P = 0.02). NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, SOMATIC SYMPTOMS, VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, OR UROGENITAL SYMPTOMS. YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. CONCLUSION. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. WHILE MORE RIGOROUS RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO UNDERPIN THESE RESULTS, YOGA CAN BE PRELIMINARILY RECOMMENDED AS AN ADDITIONAL INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN WHO SUFFER FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPLAINTS ASSOCIATED WITH MENOPAUSE. 2012 6 1398 32 IMPACT OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE AND CHANGES IN HORMONAL LEVEL AMONG MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. AIM: THE MENOPAUSE TRANSITION IS EXPERIENCED BY WOMEN OFTEN INVOLVES TROUBLESOME SYMPTOMS DUE TO CHANGES IN THE LEVEL OF REPRODUCTIVE HORMONES. NON-HORMONAL THERAPIES ARE MORE COMMONLY ACCEPTED BY WOMEN THAN HORMONAL THERAPY FOR COPING WITH THE CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS. THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE, AND CHANGES IN HORMONAL LEVELS AMONG MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. METHOD: A SINGLE-BLINDED RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED AMONG 80 PARTICIPANTS AGED 40 OF 50 YEARS AND WAS RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO STUDY ARMS, THAT IS, SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) AND BRISK WALKING INTERVENTION, TO FIND THE EFFECT ON THE HORMONAL CHANGES AND MENOPAUSAL QUALITY OF LIFE (MEASURED BY MENQOL TOOL). THE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE MEASURED BY USING REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE AND MCNEMAR'S TEST. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MENOPAUSAL-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE WERE OBSERVED IN THE DOMAIN OF VASOMOTOR, PSYCHOSOCIAL, AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS (P < 0.05). THE ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMES (SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE AND GLUTATHIONE PEROXIDASE (GPX) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY ELEVATED AFTER 1 YEAR OF REGULAR PRACTICE OF SKY COMPARED TO WALKING INTERVENTION (P < 0.05). IN CONTRAST, NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS OBSERVED IN FOLLICLE-STIMULATING HORMONE AND DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE SULFATE LEVELS. THE WOMEN REPORTED NO ADVERSE EVENTS AFTER SKY PRACTICE OR BRISK WALKING. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY CONCLUDED THAT 1 YEAR OF SKY PRACTICE COULD BE ONE OF THE PREFERRED NON-HORMONAL, LIFESTYLE-MODIFYING REGIMENS FOR IMPROVING THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. 2021 7 2415 42 YOGA AND MEDITATION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS-A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS HAVE ONLY VERY LIMITED TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK TRADITIONAL HATHA YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED EITHER TO A 12-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION OR TO USUAL CARE. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE [MRS] TOTAL SCORE). SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED MRS SUBSCALES, QUALITY OF LIFE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY-BREAST), FATIGUE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE), DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE). OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEK 12 AND WEEK 24 AFTER RANDOMIZATION. RESULTS: IN TOTAL, 40 WOMEN (MEAN AGE +/- STANDARD DEVIATION, 49.2 +/- 5.9 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 19) OR TO USUAL CARE (N = 21). WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS COMPARED WITH THE USUAL CARE GROUP AT WEEK 12 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -5.6; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -9.2 TO -1.9; P = .004) AND AT WEEK 24 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -4.5; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -8.3 TO -0.7; P = .023). AT WEEK 12, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED LESS SOMATOVEGETATIVE, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND UROGENITAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS; LESS FATIGUE; AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE (ALL P < .05). AT WEEK 24, ALL EFFECTS PERSISTED EXCEPT FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS REMAINED SIGNIFICANT WHEN ONLY WOMEN WHO WERE RECEIVING ANTIESTROGEN MEDICATION (N = 36) WERE ANALYZED. SIX MINOR ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED IN EACH GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA COMBINED WITH MEDITATION CAN BE CONSIDERED A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THE EFFECTS SEEM TO PERSIST FOR AT LEAST 3 MONTHS. 2015 8 2190 18 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PARTICIPATION ON WOMEN'S QUALITY OF LIFE AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT DURING THE MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION: A PILOT STUDY. TYPICALLY LASTING 5-10 YEARS, THE MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION IS ASSOCIATED WITH SYMPTOMS INCLUDING HOT FLASHES, NIGHT SWEATS, AND LABILE MOOD. AS THESE SYMPTOMS OFTEN HINDER A WOMAN'S SUCCESSFUL FUNCTIONING IN EVERYDAY LIFE, HORMONE THERAPY IS COMMONLY PRESCRIBED AS A MEANS TO DIMINISH SYMPTOMS. MANY WOMEN, HOWEVER, ARE SEEKING COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS DUE TO SIDE EFFECTS AND/OR DETRIMENTAL HEALTH-RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPIES. WE COMPLETED A MIXED METHODS STUDY TO DETERMINE CHANGES IN PHYSIOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH MENOPAUSE AND CHANGES IN WOMEN'S QUALITY OF LIFE, AS A RESULT OF PARTICIPATION IN A 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. 2015 9 1749 37 PILOT STUDY OF INTEGRAL YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL HOT FLASHES. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMS TO OBTAIN PRELIMINARY DATA ON THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR REDUCING SELF-REPORTED MENOPAUSAL HOT FLASHES IN A RANDOMIZED STUDY INCLUDING AN ATTENTION CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: WE RANDOMIZED 54 LATE PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN (2-12 MO OF AMENORRHEA) AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN (>12 MO OF AMENORRHEA)--AGED 45 TO 58 YEARS AND WHO EXPERIENCED AT LEAST FOUR HOT FLASHES PER DAY, ON AVERAGE, FOR AT LEAST 4 WEEKS--TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS: YOGA, HEALTH AND WELLNESS EDUCATION (HW), AND WAIT LIST (WL). YOGA AND HW CLASSES CONSISTED OF WEEKLY 90-MINUTE CLASSES FOR 10 WEEKS. ALL WOMEN COMPLETED DAILY HOT FLASH DIARIES THROUGHOUT THE TRIAL (10 WK) TO TRACK THE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF HOT FLASHES. THE MEAN HOT FLASH INDEX SCORE IS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF MILD, MODERATE, SEVERE, AND VERY SEVERE HOT FLASHES. RESULTS: HOT FLASH FREQUENCY DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS TIME FOR ALL THREE GROUPS, WITH THE STRONGEST DECLINE OCCURRING DURING THE FIRST WEEK. THERE WAS NO OVERALL SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN HOT FLASH FREQUENCY DECREASE OVER TIME BY TREATMENT GROUPS, BUT THE YOGA AND HW GROUPS FOLLOWED SIMILAR PATTERNS AND SHOWED GREATER DECREASES THAN THE WL GROUP. ON WEEK 10, WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED AN APPROXIMATELY 66% DECREASE IN HOT FLASH FREQUENCY, WOMEN IN THE HW GROUP REPORTED A 63% DECREASE, AND WOMEN IN THE WL GROUP REPORTED A 36% DECREASE. THE HOT FLASH INDEX SHOWED A SIMILAR PATTERN. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN SERVE AS A BEHAVIORAL OPTION FOR REDUCING HOT FLASHES BUT MAY NOT OFFER ANY ADVANTAGE OVER OTHER TYPES OF INTERVENTIONS. 2014 10 2591 23 YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS-A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. METHODS: MEDLINE (VIA PUBMED), THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS, AND SCOPUS WERE SCREENED THROUGH TO FEBRUARY 21, 2017 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS TO THOSE OF NO TREATMENT OR ACTIVE COMPARATORS. STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE CALCULATED. TWO AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY ASSESSED RISK OF BIAS USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. RESULTS: THIRTEEN RCTS WITH 1306 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED. COMPARED WITH NO TREATMENT, YOGA REDUCED TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (SMD=-1.05; 95% CI -1.57 TO -0.53), PSYCHOLOGICAL (SMD=-0.75; 95% CI -1.17 TO -0.34), SOMATIC (SMD=-0.65; 95% CI -1.05 TO -0.25), VASOMOTOR (SMD=-0.76; 95% CI -1.27 TO -0.25), AND UROGENITAL SYMPTOMS (SMD=-0.53; 95% CI -0.81 TO -0.25). COMPARED WITH EXERCISE CONTROLS, ONLY AN EFFECT ON VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS WAS FOUND (SMD=-0.45; 95% CI -0.87 TO -0.04). EFFECTS WERE ROBUST AGAINST SELECTION BIAS, BUT NOT AGAINST DETECTION AND ATTRITION BIAS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSION: YOGA SEEMS TO BE EFFECTIVE AND SAFE FOR REDUCING MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. EFFECTS ARE COMPARABLE TO THOSE OF OTHER EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS. 2018 11 829 29 EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. OBJECTIVES: TO OBSERVE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS USING A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED AND INTERVENTIONAL STUDY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES TOTAL MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE (MRS) SCORE AND THREE SUBSCALE SCORES (SOMATOVEGETATIVE, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND UROGENITAL) WERE MEASURED ON DAY 1 AND DAY 90 IN THE STUDY GROUP WHICH PERFORMED YOGA (ASANA, PRANAYAM AND MEDITATION) UNDER SUPERVISION FOR THREE MONTHS, AND WERE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP THAT DID NOT PERFORM YOGA. MRS HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO MEASURE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF AGEING WOMEN. IT CONSISTS OF 11 SYMPTOMS AND THREE SUBSCALES. RESULTS: IT WAS OBSERVED THAT ON DAY 1 THE SCORES IN BOTH THE GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE. ON DAY 90, THE SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A REDUCTION IN SCORE ON ALL THE SUBSCALES, WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS NOTED IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS ALTERNATIVE THERAPY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. 2011 12 1020 36 EFFECTS OF YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE ON ACTIGRAPHIC SLEEP PARAMETERS IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH HOT FLASHES. STUDY OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE COMPARED WITH USUAL ACTIVITY ON OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENTS OF SLEEP IN MIDLIFE WOMEN. METHODS: SECONDARY ANALYSES OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IN THE MENOPAUSE STRATEGIES: FINDING LASTING ANSWERS FOR SYMPTOMS AND HEALTH (MSFLASH) NETWORK CONDUCTED AMONG 186 LATE TRANSITION AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN AGED 40-62 Y WITH HOT FLASHES. WOMEN WERE RANDOMIZED TO 12 W OF YOGA, SUPERVISED AEROBIC EXERCISE, OR USUAL ACTIVITY. THE MEAN AND COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION (CV) OF CHANGE IN ACTIGRAPH SLEEP MEASURES FROM EACH INTERVENTION GROUP WERE COMPARED TO THE USUAL ACTIVITY GROUP USING LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS. RESULTS: BASELINE VALUES OF THE PRIMARY SLEEP MEASURES FOR THE ENTIRE SAMPLE WERE MEAN TOTAL SLEEP TIME (TST) = 407.5 +/- 56.7 MIN; MEAN WAKE AFTER SLEEP ONSET (WASO) = 54.6 +/- 21.8 MIN; MEAN CV FOR WASO = 37.7 +/- 18.7 AND MEAN CV FOR NUMBER OF LONG AWAKENINGS > 5 MIN = 81.5 +/- 46.9. CHANGES IN THE ACTIGRAPHIC SLEEP OUTCOMES FROM BASELINE TO WEEKS 11-12 WERE SMALL, AND NONE DIFFERED BETWEEN GROUPS. IN AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS, WOMEN WITH BASELINE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX HIGHER THAN 8 HAD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED TST-CV FOLLOWING YOGA COMPARED WITH USUAL ACTIVITY. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY ADDS TO THE CURRENTLY SCANT LITERATURE ON OBJECTIVE SLEEP OUTCOMES FROM YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR THIS POPULATION. ALTHOUGH SMALL EFFECTS ON SELF-REPORTED SLEEP QUALITY WERE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED, THE INTERVENTIONS HAD NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON ACTIGRAPH MEASURES, EXCEPT FOR POTENTIALLY IMPROVED SLEEP STABILITY WITH YOGA IN WOMEN WITH POOR SELF-REPORTED SLEEP QUALITY. 2017 13 476 33 CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS AMONG THE MOST COMMONLY STUDIED COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES FOR MANAGING CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS. HOWEVER, IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER YOGA PRACTICES IN PREMENOPAUSE CAN AFFECT THE OCCURRENCE OF SYMPTOMS WHEN WOMEN REACH MENOPAUSE. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA PRACTICES BEFORE MENOPAUSE MAY AVOID OR MITIGATE CLIMACTERIC-RELATED SYMPTOMS. DESIGN: THIS STUDY OF 108 WOMEN BETWEEN 40 AND 65 YEARS OLD INCLUDED 28 WOMEN WHO STARTED TO PRACTICE YOGA IN PREMENOPAUSE AND HAD ALREADY PRACTICED FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS, AND AS CONTROLS 30 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PRACTITIONERS (PA) WHO HAD PRACTICED FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS, AND 50 SEDENTARY WOMEN. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS WERE EVALUATED WITH THE KUPPERMAN MENOPAUSAL INDEX (KMI) AND THE WOMEN'S HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE (WHQ). MOREOVER, WE MEASURED THE QUALITY OF LIFE WITH THE WHQ. RESULTS: THE KMI SHOWED THAT 39.3% OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD NO MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, AND NONE REPORTED SEVERE SYMPTOMS. THE WHQ INDICATED A FEW SYMPTOMS AND A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE FOR YOGA PRACTITIONERS (3.56; 3.35-3.80). IN ADDITION, WE FOUND THAT THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS MODERATE AND SEVERE SYMPTOMS (P = 0.002) COMPARED WITH THE SEDENTARY GROUP. WE ALSO OBSERVED THAT YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD LESS VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS AND MEMORY/CONCENTRATION DISORDERS THAN PA PRACTITIONERS (P = 0.010 AND P = 0.047) AND SEDENTARY WOMEN (P = 0.001 AND P = 0.001) AND ALSO USED FEWER DRUGS THAN THE PA (P < 0.001) AND THE SEDENTARY GROUPS (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHO STARTED TO PRACTICE IN PREMENOPAUSE HAD SATISFACTORY RESULTS ON THE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY OF CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. ALTHOUGH FURTHER RESEARCH IS REQUIRED TO SUPPORT OUR FINDINGS, WE CONCLUDE THAT YOGA PRACTICE MAY REPRESENT AN EFFICIENT NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL APPROACH TO MANAGE AND PREVENT CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS. 2022 14 2592 29 YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. METHODS: WE SEARCHED THE LITERATURE USING 14 DATABASES FROM THEIR INCEPTION TO JULY 2008 AND INCLUDED ALL TYPES OF CLINICAL STUDIES REGARDLESS OF THEIR DESIGN. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF ALL STUDIES WAS ASSESSED USING A MODIFIED JADAD SCORE. RESULTS: SEVEN STUDIES MET OUR INCLUSION CRITERIA. TWO RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS COMPARED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH THOSE OF WALKING OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE. THE META-ANALYSIS OF THESE DATA FAILED TO SHOW SPECIFIC EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL COMPLAINTS INCLUDING PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOMATIC, AND VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS. TWO RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS FOUND NO EFFECTS OF YOGA ON TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS COMPARED WITH WAIT-LIST CONTROL OR NO TREATMENT. THE REMAINING STUDIES WERE EITHER NON-RANDOMIZED (N = 1) OR UNCONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS (N = 3). THEY REPORTED FAVORABLE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. THESE DATA COLLECTIVELY SHOW THAT THE RESULTS OF RIGOROUS STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS ARE UNCONVINCING. CONCLUSION: THE EVIDENCE IS INSUFFICIENT TO SUGGEST THAT YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR MENOPAUSE. FURTHER RESEARCH IS REQUIRED TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER THERE ARE SPECIFIC BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR TREATING MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. 2009 15 2692 24 YOGA INCREASED SERUM ESTROGEN LEVELS IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN-A CASE REPORT. OBJECTIVE: THIS CASE REPORT AIMED TO EVALUATE 4 MONTHS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND ESTRADIOL LEVELS OF TWO POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE CLINICALLY HEALTHY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN, WITH FOLLICLE-STIMULATING HORMONE LEVELS GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 30 MIU/ML AND A BODY MASS INDEX LOWER THAN 30 KG/M. THE PARTICIPANTS PRACTICED YOGA FOR 4 MONTHS IN TWO 1-HOUR SESSIONS PER WEEK. RESULTS: THE PARTICIPANTS EXHIBITED AN ABNORMAL ESTROGEN-LEVEL INCREASE AFTER 4 MONTHS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND SHOWED QOL IMPROVEMENTS. CONCLUSIONS: IN SOME CASES, YOGA PRACTICE CAN AFFECT THE FEMALE NEUROENDOCRINE SYSTEM, INCREASING ESTROGEN AND IMPROVING QOL. 2016 16 2729 30 YOGA OF AWARENESS PROGRAM FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: RESULTS FROM A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. GOAL OF WORK: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS HAVE LIMITED OPTIONS FOR THE TREATMENT OF HOT FLASHES AND RELATED SYMPTOMS. FURTHER, THERAPIES WIDELY USED TO PREVENT RECURRENCE IN SURVIVORS, SUCH AS TAMOXIFEN, TEND TO INDUCE OR EXACERBATE MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. THE AIM OF THIS PRELIMINARY, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN A SAMPLE OF SURVIVORS OF EARLY-STAGE BREAST CANCER (STAGES IA-IIB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIRTY-SEVEN DISEASE-FREE WOMEN EXPERIENCING HOT FLASHES WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE 8-WEEK YOGA OF AWARENESS PROGRAM (GENTLE YOGA POSES, MEDITATION, AND BREATHING EXERCISES) OR TO WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS DAILY REPORTS OF HOT FLASHES COLLECTED AT BASELINE, POSTTREATMENT, AND 3 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT VIA AN INTERACTIVE TELEPHONE SYSTEM. DATA WERE ANALYZED BY INTENTION TO TREAT. MAIN RESULTS: AT POSTTREATMENT, WOMEN WHO RECEIVED THE YOGA PROGRAM SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENTS RELATIVE TO THE CONTROL CONDITION IN HOT-FLASH FREQUENCY, SEVERITY, AND TOTAL SCORES AND IN LEVELS OF JOINT PAIN, FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, SYMPTOM-RELATED BOTHER, AND VIGOR. AT 3 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP, PATIENTS MAINTAINED THEIR TREATMENT GAINS IN HOT FLASHES, JOINT PAIN, FATIGUE, SYMPTOM-RELATED BOTHER, AND VIGOR AND SHOWED ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN NEGATIVE MOOD, RELAXATION, AND ACCEPTANCE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDES PROMISING SUPPORT FOR THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM FOR HOT FLASHES AND OTHER MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN EARLY-STAGE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. 2009 17 764 37 EFFECT OF THE INFORMATION SUPPORT METHOD COMBINED WITH YOGA EXERCISE ON THE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND SLEEP QUALITY OF MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. BACKGROUND: MENOPAUSE IS A SPECIAL STAGE IN A WOMAN'S LIFE, BUT NO SAFE CLINICAL TREATMENT EXISTS AGAINST MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. TO ANALYZE THE EFFECT OF THE INFORMATION SUPPORT METHOD COMBINED WITH YOGA EXERCISE ON THE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND SLEEP QUALITY OF MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: FROM JUNE 2019 TO DECEMBER 2019, MENOPAUSAL WOMEN WHO WERE NEWLY RECRUITED IN THREE YOGA CLUBS IN THREE CITIES IN EAST CHINA WERE SELECTED AS THE PARTICIPANTS BY CONVENIENCE SAMPLING. A TOTAL OF 52 WOMEN WERE IN THE EXPERIMENT GROUP AND 54 WERE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. IN 24 WEEKS, THE EXPERIMENT GROUP ENGAGED IN YOGA EXERCISE FOR 60 MINUTES EACH TIME, THREE TIMES A WEEK. THEY GROUP WAS GIVEN PROFESSIONAL POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL INFORMATION SUPPORT AT THE SAME TIME. THE KUPPERMAN MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOM DISTRESS SCALE, SELF-RATING DEPRESSION SCALE (SDS), SELF-RATING ANXIETY SCALE (SAS), AND PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) WERE USED BEFORE THE EXPERIMENT, THREE MONTHS INTO THE EXPERIMENT, AND SIX MONTHS INTO THE EXPERIMENT TO MONITOR THE INTERVENTION EFFECT ON THE PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS: AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SYMPTOMS OF DISTRESS AMONG MENOPAUSAL WOMEN IN THE EXPERIMENT GROUP AND THE KUPPERMAN SCORE OF THE EXPERIMENT GROUP REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY. REPEATED MEASURES OF ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WERE CONDUCTED IN THE TWO GROUPS (P<0.001). AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE DEPRESSION SCORE OF THE EXPERIMENT GROUP DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS IN REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE IN THE SDS SCORE (P<0.001). AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE ANXIETY SCORE OF THE EXPERIMENT GROUP REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY, AND REPEATED MEASURES OF ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE IN THE SAS SCORE WERE CONDUCTED IN THE TWO GROUPS (P<0.001). AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SLEEP QUALITY OF THE EXPERIMENT GROUP IMPROVED, AND REPEATED MEASURES OF ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE IN SLEEP QUALITY WERE CONDUCTED IN THE TWO GROUPS (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: THE INFORMATION SUPPORT METHOD COMBINED WITH YOGA EXERCISE CAN ALLEVIATE THE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OF MENOPAUSAL WOMEN, IMPROVE THEIR SLEEP QUALITY, AND REDUCE THEIR SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSAL DISTRESS. 2020 18 1302 39 HATHA YOGA PRACTICE DECREASES MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS AND IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: YOGA PRACTICE INCLUDES A GROUP OF SPECIFIC PSYCHOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES. ALTHOUGH PREVIOUS STUDIES SHOWED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR HEALTH AND REHABILITATION, IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE, THERE ARE FEW STUDIES ON THE POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC APPLICATION OF YOGA DURING THE CLIMACTERIC PERIOD. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA REGULAR PRACTICE IN POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. METHODS: EIGHTY-EIGHT POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN VOLUNTEERED FOR THIS 12-WEEK TRIAL. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS: CONTROL (NO INTERVENTION), EXERCISE, AND YOGA. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE APPLIED IN ORDER TO EVALUATE CLIMACTERIC SYNDROME (MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE), STRESS (LIPP STRESS SYMPTOM INVENTORY), QUALITY OF LIFE (BRIEF WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE), DEPRESSION (BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY) AND ANXIETY (STATE/TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORIES). PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES WERE EVALUATED THROUGH HORMONE LEVELS (CORTISOL, FSH, LH, PROGESTERONE AND ESTRADIOL). RESULTS: AT 12 WEEKS, YOGA PRACTITIONERS SHOWED STATISTICALLY LOWER SCORES FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, STRESS LEVELS AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER SCORES IN QUALITY OF LIFE WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROL AND EXERCISE GROUPS. ONLY CONTROL GROUP PRESENTED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN CORTISOL LEVELS. THE YOGA AND EXERCISE GROUPS SHOWED DECREASED LEVELS OF FSH AND LH WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PROMOTES POSITIVE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES IN POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN AND MAY BE APPLIED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY TOWARDS THIS POPULATION. 2016 19 1133 34 EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN ALLEVIATING VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS (VMS) FREQUENCY AND BOTHER. METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS A THREE-BY-TWO FACTORIAL, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. ELIGIBLE WOMEN WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 107), EXERCISE (N = 106), OR USUAL ACTIVITY (N = 142), AND WERE SIMULTANEOUSLY RANDOMIZED TO A DOUBLE-BLIND COMPARISON OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID (N = 177) OR PLACEBO (N = 178) CAPSULES. YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 12 WEEKLY 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES WITH DAILY HOME PRACTICE. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE VMS FREQUENCY AND BOTHER ASSESSED BY DAILY DIARIES AT BASELINE, 6 WEEKS, AND 12 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS (INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX) AT BASELINE AND 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: AMONG 249 RANDOMIZED WOMEN, 237 (95%) COMPLETED 12-WEEK ASSESSMENTS. THE MEAN BASELINE VMS FREQUENCY WAS 7.4 PER DAY (95% CI, 6.6 TO 8.1) IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 8.0 PER DAY (95% CI, 7.3 TO 8.7) IN THE USUAL ACTIVITY GROUP. INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES INCLUDED ALL PARTICIPANTS WITH RESPONSE DATA (N = 237). THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTERVENTION GROUPS IN THE CHANGE IN VMS FREQUENCY FROM BASELINE TO 6 AND 12 WEEKS (MEAN DIFFERENCE [YOGA--USUAL ACTIVITY] FROM BASELINE AT 6 WK, -0.3 [95% CI, -1.1 TO 0.5]; MEAN DIFFERENCE [YOGA--USUAL ACTIVITY] FROM BASELINE AT 12 WK, -0.3 [95% CI, -1.2 TO 0.6]; P = 0.119 ACROSS BOTH TIME POINTS). RESULTS WERE SIMILAR FOR VMS BOTHER. AT WEEK 12, YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH AN IMPROVEMENT IN INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS (MEAN DIFFERENCE [YOGA - USUAL ACTIVITY] IN THE CHANGE IN INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX, 1.3 [95% CI, -2.5 TO -0.1]; P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: AMONG HEALTHY WOMEN, 12 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASS PLUS HOME PRACTICE, COMPARED WITH USUAL ACTIVITY, DO NOT IMPROVE VMS FREQUENCY OR BOTHER BUT REDUCE INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS. 2014 20 2521 41 YOGA DECREASES INSOMNIA IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS BEEN PROVEN TO HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON REDUCING INSOMNIA. STUDIES HAVE ALSO SHOWN ITS EFFECTS ON REDUCING CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS. TO DATE, HOWEVER, NO STUDIES THAT EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF INSOMNIA IN A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AND CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS OF POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF INSOMNIA. METHODS: POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN NOT UNDERGOING HORMONE THERAPY, WHO WERE 50 TO 65 YEARS OLD, WHO HAD AN APNEA-HYPOPNEA INDEX LESS THAN 15, AND WHO HAD A DIAGNOSIS OF INSOMNIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS, AS FOLLOWS: CONTROL, PASSIVE STRETCHING, AND YOGA. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE ADMINISTERED BEFORE AND 4 MONTHS AFTER THE INTERVENTION TO EVALUATE QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS, INSOMNIA SEVERITY, DAYTIME SLEEPINESS, AND STRESS. THE VOLUNTEERS ALSO UNDERWENT POLYSOMNOGRAPHY. THE STUDY LASTED 4 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WERE 44 VOLUNTEERS AT THE END OF THE STUDY. WHEN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER POSTTREATMENT SCORES FOR CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS AND INSOMNIA SEVERITY AND HIGHER SCORES FOR QUALITY OF LIFE AND RESISTANCE PHASE OF STRESS. THE REDUCTION IN INSOMNIA SEVERITY IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THAT IN THE CONTROL AND PASSIVE-STRETCHING GROUPS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT A SPECIFIC SEQUENCE OF YOGA MIGHT BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING INSOMNIA AND MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AS WELL AS IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH INSOMNIA. 2012