![\"Dr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Dr_ray_o_Connor_100.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThis week Dr Ray O\u2019Connor considers some recent papers on the menopause, particularly non-drug\/HRT issues<\/p>\n
Exercise and bone mineral density post-menopause
Postmenopausal women (PMW) experience the decline of ovarian function; oestrogen reduction will accelerate bone mass loss. Exercise is an effective means of mitigating bone mineral density (BMD) loss in PMW, but the relative effectiveness of different exercise types remains under investigation. This study was a network meta-analysis.1 Literature search databases included PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Google Scholar, Web of Science (WOS), and Scopus.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dr Ray O\u2019Connor<\/p>\n
The aim was to evaluate and compare various exercise types with bone mineral density in PMW to identify the most effective types. The literature comprised a collective of 49 papers, encompassing 3,360 people across eight interventions. The Network Meta-analysis ranked the effects of exercise interventions on lumbar spine BMD in descending order. The exercise modalities that showed significant efficacy were AE + RT (Aerobic Mixed Resistance Exercise, AE (Aerobic Exercise) and RT (Resistance Training).<\/p>\n
The exercise patterns with significant effects on lumbar spine bone mineral density were AE + RT, WBV (Whole Body Vibration), and RT). The authors\u2019 conclusion was that exercise intervention significantly and effectively alleviated BMD in postmenopausal women, with AE + RT having the best effect.<\/p>\n
Dermatoses and the menopause
Menopause, marked by a decline in oestrogen, has important effects on skin and mucosal health. The impact of menopause and menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) on chronic dermatoses remains incompletely defined. The objective of this systematic review2 was to investigate the relationship between menopause, MHT, and common dermatological conditions. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched. Eligible studies evaluated menopause or MHT in relation to alopecia, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, melasma, and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).<\/p>\n
Investigational cohorts largely consisted of menopausal women, although participant characteristics varied. A total of 40 studies met inclusion criteria. Alopecia, particularly frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) and female pattern hair loss (FPHL), showed the strongest postmenopausal associations, with most cases presenting after menopause and earlier or surgical menopause conferring greater risk. Psoriasis frequently persisted or worsened after menopause, though objective assessments are limited.<\/p>\n
Acne and rosacea generally improved, whereas melasma showed mixed outcomes, including greater extra-facial involvement post menopause. HS responses to menopause were inconsistent. MHT was linked to increased risk of FFA and rosacea, whereas findings for other dermatoses were more variable or absent. Most of the studies involved MHT formulations that are less commonly used in current clinical practice. The authors\u2019 conclusion was that menopause influences the onset and course of several chronic dermatoses, while data on MHT remain more limited and inconsistent. Dermatologists should consider menopausal status and hormone therapy exposure when evaluating skin disease. <\/p>\n
The effect of menopause on the healthcare workforce
There is limited research exploring how healthcare staff experience menopause and the impact of the loss of senior women on junior staff. This systematic review3 aimed to understand how the problem of the menopause at work in healthcare settings is characterised in the literature and to explore the implications of menopause at work. The searches were run on databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Social Policy and Practice and HMIC via OVID and CINAHL, via EBSCOhost combining terms for health personnel, workplace and menopause.<\/p>\n
The authors conducted thorough supplementary searches in addition to the database searches. Seventy-five articles from 13 different countries were included, of which 39 were empirical research. These revealed a vicious cycle: experiencing the menopause at work makes work more stressful and, when work is stressful, the experience of the menopause is exacerbated. Support interventions were widely discussed but there was no evidence of the interventions being tested for effectiveness.<\/p>\n
There were three main themes of implications for women experiencing menopause: implications for perception of self, implications for relationships at work and implications for work\/career. There was minimal discussion about implications for colleagues and patients and none about implications for learners.<\/p>\n
The authors recommend that further research is required to understand the effectiveness of the interventions being used and to understand the implications for health professions education.<\/p>\n
Menopause and work performance
Many women will experience menopause while in paid employment, and many workplaces are introducing menopause-related policies. However, the quality of the evidence for the impact of menopause on women\u2019s work outcomes is unclear.<\/p>\n
The objective of this systematic review4 was to analyse the published literature that has examined the impact of menopausal status and symptoms on work ability and productivity. The authors conducted a systematic review of English-language peer-reviewed literature. Data sources included Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus databases searched from inception to November 14, 2024, Google Scholar, and reference lists of included articles.<\/p>\n
Of the 40 articles retrieved for full-text review, 10 met the inclusion criteria. Nine studies were cross-sectional and one was longitudinal. Menopausal status was not consistently related to work ability. The presence and severity of VMS and other menopause-related symptoms may impact work outcomes, but findings were mixed.<\/p>\n A number of adverse employment, socioeconomic, and personal factors were independently associated with lower self-reported work ability in studies that examined such factors. Each included study was limited by a high risk of bias in at least one assessed domain, and only six of the studies adjusted for confounders. Heterogeneity in study design and analysis precluded a meta-analysis.<\/p>\n The authors concluded that menopausal status alone was not consistently associated with work outcomes. Evidence for an adverse impact of menopausal symptoms on work ability is mixed and may be confounded by other factors impacting on women\u2019s work outcomes at midlife. Rigorously designed studies that assess the potential factors impacting work ability in midlife women are needed to ensure robust evidence underpins menopause-related workplace policies.<\/p>\n Non-drug treatment of menopausal sleep problems The authors conducted a systematic search across PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Web of Science from their inception until May 25, 2025. Out of 1,925 studies screened, 44 were included in the final analysis. The findings revealed that, compared with a control condition, relaxation, cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness, aromatherapy, acupuncture, massage, yoga and exercise all significantly improved sleep quality. Mindfulness was also the most effective.<\/p>\n \u00a0References:<\/p>\n Xiaova L et al. Effect of different types of exercise on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Sci Rep 2025 Apr 5;15(1):11740. doi: 10.1038\/s41598-025-94510-3<\/a>.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/link_box-you-might25.jpg\")
<\/a>Eligible studies included a formal process to identify menopausal status; a robust questionnaire or validated tool for assessing menopausal symptoms; a comparator group by menopausal status, symptom presence or severity; assessment of work outcomes by a validated tool; and a sample size of at least 100 women.<\/p>\n
Nonpharmacological therapies are widely used to improve the sleep quality of menopausal women experiencing insomnia. The aim of this systematic review5 was to clarify which of the nonpharmacological therapies studied in randomized controlled trials are most effective and comprehensively evaluate their impacts.<\/p>\n
\nRoster K et al. Menopause and Common Dermatoses: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology (2026) 27:67\u201384 https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s40257-025-00994-0.<\/a>
\nScott J et al. Menopause and the healthcare workforce: a scoping review and stakeholder consultation. BMC Health Services Research (2026) 26:286 https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s12913-025-13906-z<\/a>
\nTayor S et al. Menopause and work performance: a systematic review of observational studies. Menopause 2025 Aug 1;32(8):769-778. doi: 10.1097\/GME.0000000000002557<\/a>.
\nWang Z et al. Effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions for menopause-related insomnia: A systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis. Maturitas 2025 Nov:202:108713. doi: 10.1016\/j.maturitas.2025.108713<\/a>. Epub 2025 Aug 30.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This week Dr Ray O\u2019Connor considers some recent papers on the menopause, particularly non-drug\/HRT issues Exercise and bone…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[2121,10555,1698,142940,1348,103,61,60,12359,2686,142941],"class_list":{"0":"post-387732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-womens-health","9":"tag-bone-mineral-density","10":"tag-dermatology","11":"tag-dr-ray-oconnor","12":"tag-exercise","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-menopause","17":"tag-sleep","18":"tag-you-might-be-interested-in"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}