Exercise Boosts Mental Health Of Women With Chronic Pelvic Pain
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, March 3, 2025 -- Physical activity can improve the mental well-being of women living with chronic pelvic pain disorders like endometriosis and uterine fibroids, a new study says.
Activities like brisk walking or aerobic exercise caused measurable improvements in women with pelvic pain, researchers reported in the Journal of Pain Research.
“Chronic pelvic pain disorders are incredibly complex and burdensome for those affected, yet we still have very few effective treatment strategies," said senior researcher Ipek Ensari, an assistant professor of artificial intelligence and human health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
"Our research suggests that physical activity could be an important tool for improving mental health in these patients, offering them a proactive way to enhance their well-being,” Ensari added in a news release.
Chronic pelvic pain affects 1 in 7 women worldwide, researchers said in background notes.
For the study, researchers used wearable motion trackers to monitor 76 women with pelvic pain disorders, collecting more than 4,200 days’ worth of data.
The participants reported their mental health, physical function and pain levels weekly through an app.
On average, participants got more than 8,300 steps and 38 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day, results show.
About 43% got fewer than 7,500 daily steps, which is below the threshold for being considered sufficiently active, and 41% got fewer than 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a week as recommended by U.S. guidelines.
Results showed that physical activity helped improve the women’s mood and mental health, and that the benefits appeared to accumulate over time rather than provide immediate relief.
"We were particularly intrigued to find that the positive effects of exercise seem to lag by a few days, meaning the mental health benefits may build up gradually," Ensari said. "This insight is vital for both patients and health care providers, as it underscores the importance of consistency in physical activity."
As women’s mental health improved, they also experienced improvements in physical function and reductions in pain, results show.
Sources
- Mount Sinai, news release, Feb. 26, 2025
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted March 2025
Read this next
Gynecological Problems Risk Heart, Brain Health
TUESDAY, Feb. 25, 2025 -- Women experience a great deal of pain or discomfort from common gynecological problems like endometriosis, heavy or irregular periods and ovarian...
Fibroids, Endometriosis Linked to Shorter Life Spans
FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2024 — Two conditions common during women's childbearing years may increase their odds for serious illness and premature death, a large study...
Hope for New Test, Treatment for Endometriosis
FRIDAY, Oct. 11, 2024 -- Endometriosis could be linked to the health of a woman’s microbiome, a new study says. The discovery might help lead to an early test for the...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.