Menopause brings real challenges. Hot flashes, mood swings, and sleep trouble can make daily life hard. A new analysis looked at whether massage could help. The researchers combined data from multiple studies to see the full picture for menopausal and postmenopausal women. They measured changes in symptoms like anxiety, depression, and physical discomfort using standard health questionnaires. The results showed clear benefits for many people. Massage led to significant improvements in overall menopausal ratings, anxiety, depression, and feelings of fatigue. It also helped with psychosocial aspects of quality of life and sexual well-being. Some benefits were seen in physical symptoms and sleep quality, though these were less consistent across the data. One area, urogenital symptoms, did not show a significant change with massage. The study team noted that differences between how different symptom scales measured results were worth exploring. Despite these nuances, the overall message is positive. This therapy offers a gentle option for managing the complex symptoms of menopause.
Massage improves menopause symptoms in systematic review and meta-analysisMassage helps menopausal women feel better on many key measures
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Key Takeaway
Consider massage therapy for menopausal symptoms, especially somatic, psychosocial, and mood outcomes.
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effects of massage therapy on menopausal and postmenopausal women. The primary outcome was the total index of the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), which showed a significant benefit (P = 0.0007). Significant improvements were also seen in the somatic subscale (P = 0.001), psychosocial subscale (P < 0.00001), Beck anxiety inventory (P = 0.0004), Beck depression inventory (P < 0.00001), and fatigue severity scale (P < 0.00001).
Some benefit was observed for the MENQOL vasomotor (P = 0.08), psychosocial (P = 0.05), physical (P = 0.22), and sexual (P = 0.04) subscales, as well as the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (P = 0.87) and SF-36 mental subscale (P = 0.76), though these did not reach statistical significance. The urogenital subscale of the MRS showed no significant effect (P = 0.22).
The authors noted a discrepancy between the MRS and MENQOL subscales, which was explored and discussed. Heterogeneity across most studies was not high. Adverse events were not reported.
Massage therapy may be considered an effective nonpharmacologic option for managing menopausal symptoms, particularly for somatic, psychosocial, and mood-related complaints. However, the lack of reported safety data and the mixed results on quality-of-life subscales warrant cautious interpretation.
What this means for you:
Massage showed significant benefits for mood, fatigue, and hot flashes in menopausal women. More on Menopause
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View Original Abstract ↓
OBJECTIVES: This systematic review and meta-analysis study explores the effect of massage on comprehensive menopause symptoms, including vasomotor, physical, psychological, sexual, sleep, anxiety, depression, and fatigue in menopausal and postmenopausal women.
METHODS: The following English databases, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, and other databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between inception and Oct 25, 2025. RCTs that investigated the efficacy of massage on menopause symptoms were included. Revman software (version 5.0) was used for statistical analysis.
RESULTS: Massage showed benefits for most menopause outcomes in the total index of the menopause rating scale (MRS) after treatment (P = 0.0007), somatic subscale (P = 0.001), psychosocial subscale (P < 0.00001), but showed no significant effect on the urogenital subscale (P = 0.22). There were some benefits for the menopause-specific quality of life (MENQOL) vasomotor (P = 0.08), psychosocial (P = 0.05), physical (P = 0.22), and sexual subscales (P = 0.04). The discrepancy between the MRS and MENQOL subscales was explored and discussed. The effects of massage on other indices showed some but not all benefits, including the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI; P = 0.87), Beck anxiety inventory (BAI; P = 0.0004), Beck depression inventory (BDI; P < 0.00001), Short Form 36 Health survey (SF-36) mental subscale (P = 0.76), and fatigue severity scale (P < 0.00001). The heterogeneities of most studies were not high.
CONCLUSIONS: Massage significantly improves psychological, depressive, anxious, and fatigue-related symptoms in menopausal and postmenopausal women but does not show significant effects on urogenital, sleep-related, and other physical symptoms. It can be recommended as an effective therapy for menopausal and postmenopausal syndromes.
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