NCT07132385

Feasibility of Different Types of Exercise Training in Perimenopausal Females

Perimenopause: Window for Exercise and Resilience Pilot Study

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Toronto · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Throughout the menopause transition, women experience many symptoms (i.e., hot flashes, night sweats) that can significantly reduce their quality of life. Moreover, their risk of heart disease increases substantially. The years before menopause called "perimenopause" present a critical window of intervention to alleviate menopause symptoms and improve health outcomes. Our team is therefore interested in comparing the potential benefits of different approaches including following the Health Canada guidelines (i.e., accumulating 150 min of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic physical activity weekly); performing high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which involves alternating periods of intense exercise with periods of rest; or stretching in perimenopause. As a first step towards this goal, this study will assess how easy and enjoyable the interventions are to follow over a 6-week period. The information gained from this study will be used to perform a larger study with enough participants to assess the health and quality of life impacts of adopting these different strategies in perimenopause.

Detailed description

Participants will be randomized to 1 of 3 groups and complete a 6 week intervention: 1) Moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) following the Health Canada guidelines (Group 1); 2) High-intensity interval training (HIIT) (Group 2); or 3) Stretching (Group 3). Before and after the intervention, participants will complete questionnaires to assess your menopause symptoms, stress levels and quality of life. Before and after the intervention the research team will also assess participants' body composition (fat mass and muscle mass) using a BodPod, and insulin sensitivity using an oral glucose tolerance testing with blood sampling. After the intervention, investigators will also ask that participants complete questionnaires that indicate how easy and enjoyable the intervention was to follow.

Conditions

• Women

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Guidelines-based moderate-intensity continuous exercise	Through a combination of exercise trainer-led in-person and virtual sessions, participants will be guided to achieve 150 weekly minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (total intervention is 6 weeks)
BEHAVIORAL	High-intensity interval training	Through a combination of exercise trainer-led in-person and virtual sessions, participants will be guided to achieve 75 weekly minutes of high-intensity interval training.
BEHAVIORAL	Stretching exercise	Twice weekly virtual instructor-led whole-body stretching class.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-09-01
• Primary completion: 2026-06-30
• Completion: 2026-06-30
• First posted: 2025-08-20
• Last updated: 2025-09-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada