Maturitas最新文献

{"title":"Vaginal symptoms and sexual function in climacteric women experiencing stress urinary incontinence: a secondary analysis from a six-month follow-up of a randomised trial comparing microablative radiofrequency, pelvic floor muscle training, and combination treatments","authors":"Anna Lygia B. Lunardi ,&nbsp;Cassia R.T. Juliato ,&nbsp;Helena Slongo ,&nbsp;Cassio L.Z. Riccetto","doi":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108777","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108777","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To compare microablative fractional radiofrequency (FMRF), pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), and their combination (PFMT+FMRF) on vaginal symptoms, quality of life, and sexual function in incontinent climacteric women.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Secondary outcomes from a prospective, blinded, three-arm randomised controlled trial with 117 women (39 per group), assessed at pre-treatment, one month, and six months using: International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire–Vaginal Symptoms (ICIQ-VS), Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), cytology, Vaginal Health Index (VHI), and transabdominal ultrasound to measure vaginal wall thickness.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>All groups showed significant improvement over time in ICIQ-VS total score, laxity, dryness, impact on sex life, abdominal pain, vaginal soreness (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.0001 for all questions), reduced sensation (<em>p</em> = 0.0004), and impairment of sex life (<em>p</em> = 0.0005). Only the FMRF group had sustained improvement in daily life interference at six months (<em>p</em> = 0.0419; CL pre vs post: −63.2 [−94.7;-31.8], pre vs 6 months: −45.7 [−79.4;-12.0]). FSFI improvements (total and domains) were not sustained at six months: total score (0.0102), desire (0.0134), lubrication (0.0093), satisfaction (0.0239), pain (0.0430). VHI showed significant, treatment-dependent differences: for moisture, FMRF improved pre- vs post-treatment (<em>p</em> = 0.0209; CL: 4.5 [2.4;26.6]), FMRF+PFMT improved over time (p = 0.0209; CL: 24.3 [10.6;38.0], 18.6 [4.2;32.9]); for fluid volume, FMRF+PFMT improved (<em>p</em> = 0.0004; CL: 27.6 [12.2;43], 24.7 [8.5;40.8]); for total score, FMRF improved pre- vs post-treatment (<em>p</em> = 0.0028; CL: 13.2 [4.4;22.1]), and FMRF+PFMT improved over time (p = 0.0028; CL: 21.6 [11.7;31.5], 18.9 [8.5;29.3]). All groups improved in pH (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.0001) and epithelial integrity (p &lt; 0.0001); however, the improvement in elasticity (<em>p</em> = 0.0001) was not sustained at six months. Vaginal wall thickness increased similarly across groups.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>At six-month follow-up, all groups had similar improvements in quality of life, vaginal health, and sexual function.</div></div><div><h3>Trial registration</h3><div>This trial is registered on REBEC (Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos; Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials) under number RBR-9v3q33.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51120,"journal":{"name":"Maturitas","volume":"204 ","pages":"Article 108777"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145618320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections on pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized placebo-controlled trials","authors":"Olivier Bruyère ,&nbsp;Majed Alokail ,&nbsp;Nasser Al-Daghri ,&nbsp;Jean-Yves Reginster ,&nbsp;Shaun Sabico","doi":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108779","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108779","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Introduction&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Knee osteoarthritis is a prevalent and disabling condition characterized by pain and functional impairment. Intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections are widely used for symptom relief, but their efficacy remains debated due to conflicting conclusions across systematic reviews and meta-analyses. This umbrella review assesses the symptomatic efficacy of intra-articular hyaluronic acid based on evidence reported by previously conducted systematic reviews and meta-analyses, identifies factors contributing to discrepancies in findings, and summarizes consistent outcome trends.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;This umbrella review followed the Cochrane guidelines for overviews of reviews and adhered to the PRIOR reporting checklist. A systematic search was conducted in Medline (Ovid), the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Ovid CDSR), and Embase, using a predefined Population/Intervention/Comparator/Outcome/Study design (PICOS) framework. Systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of intra-articular hyaluronic acid on pain and/or function compared with placebo were included. Exclusion criteria were systematic reviews that included both randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled trials without separate synthesis of data from the former, scoping reviews, abstracts, commentaries, or narrative reviews. Two independent reviewers screened titles/abstracts, and full texts, resolving disagreements by consensus. Risk of bias was assessed using the AMSTAR-2 checklist, classifying systematic reviews as high, moderate, low, or critically low quality.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Twenty-two systematic reviews were included, with AMSTAR-2 quality ratings as follows: four high, one moderate, three low, and fourteen critically low. The majority (20/22) reported statistically significant beneficial effects of intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections on pain and function. However, according to the interpretation of their authors, fifteen systematic reviews concluded positively, three provided mixed interpretations, and four concluded negatively. All five of the reviews of high or moderate quality reported statistically significant beneficial effects, but with three concluding positively and two negatively. Negative or mixed conclusions were primarily attributed to restrictive inclusion criteria (e.g., analyses only of large trials, minimum patient numbers, long follow-up periods) and challenges in interpreting clinical relevance.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Most systematic reviews and all high-quality systematic reviews support the symptomatic efficacy of intra-articular hyaluronic acid in knee osteoarthritis. Negative interpretations arise when restrictive inclusion criteria challenge the clinical relevance of results. However, given the methodological limitations, variability in review quality, and inconsistent interpretations, the overall certainty of evid","PeriodicalId":51120,"journal":{"name":"Maturitas","volume":"203 ","pages":"Article 108779"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145529120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling the association between dietary metals and prostate health: Identifying benign prostatic hyperplasia using a SHAP-based interpretable machine learning model in US adults","authors":"Yan Wang ,&nbsp;Jiaming Chen ,&nbsp;Wangqiang Chen ,&nbsp;Xuejuan Jiang ,&nbsp;Caifei Ding ,&nbsp;Jingyu Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108776","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108776","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Benign prostatic hyperplasia affects roughly 50 % of men aged 51–60 and 70 % of those aged 61–70. While heavy metals have been linked to prostate cancer and inflammation, little is known about how the dietary intake of trace metals influences BPH risk. This study aimed to establish an interpretable, machine-learning–based framework using U.S. NHANES data to identify key dietary metals associated with BPH risk.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed adult male participants from NHANES cycles 2005–2008, extracting daily intake estimates for six trace metals. This study compared six algorithms to elucidate the relationship between dietary metal intake and BPH risk, assessing their performance in associating BPH risk across seven evaluation metrics to identify the optimal model and enhance interpretability through analysis with SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). Subgroup analyses explored nonlinear intake–risk relationships.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>LightGBM demonstrated superior performance (AUC = 0.668). SHAP ranking identified zinc, iron, and selenium as the top protective nutrients. The most pronounced protective effect against BPH was observed within the moderate zinc and selenium intake strata. Iron demonstrated a consistent protective association, with risk reduction observed across its intake range. Copper intake demonstrated a shift from risk reduction for BPH at low to moderate levels to an increased risk at high intake levels.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings suggest that calibrated intake of these key micronutrients may attenuate BPH susceptibility, providing a data-driven foundation for targeted nutritional interventions and public-health strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51120,"journal":{"name":"Maturitas","volume":"203 ","pages":"Article 108776"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145552438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term subjective assessment of tension-free vaginal tape for recurrent stress urinary incontinence: A comparison with primary trans-obturator tape","authors":"Michael Babin ,&nbsp;Ehud Grinstein ,&nbsp;Masha Ben-Zvi ,&nbsp;Irit Segman ,&nbsp;Jonathan Harmatz ,&nbsp;Ohad Gluck ,&nbsp;Ron Sagiv ,&nbsp;Shimon Ginath","doi":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108778","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108778","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) affects 10–20 % of the female population. The primary surgical treatment for women with SUI is mid-urethral sling surgery (MUS). No clear guidelines exist for second-line management in patients with recurrences. This study compared quality of life and the occurrence of urinary symptoms after a secondary retropubic tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) intervention in patients with failure of primary transobturator tape (TOT) surgery with those who had experienced successful primary TOT surgery.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study to compare efficacy and quality of life in patients who underwent the primary TOT procedure versus those who had a secondary TVT intervention after a failed TOT surgery. The Urinary Distress Inventory 6 (UDI-6) (questions 15–20 in the PFDI-20) was used to assess urinary symptoms.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Sixty-seven patients were enrolled in the study. Forty-five patients underwent successful primary TOT surgery (defined as no bothersome SUI symptoms post-surgery), while twenty-two underwent secondary TVT surgery for recurrent symptoms. Basic demographic characteristics were comparable in both groups. The median follow-up was 32 months for the successful primary TOT group and 25.5 months for the secondary TVT group (<em>p</em> = 0.33). There were no significant differences in UDI-6 scores (24.3 ± 25.3 for the successful primary TOT group versus 29.5 ± 27.2 for the secondary TVT group, <em>p</em> = 0.44). Rates of stress urinary incontinence, urgency urinary incontinence, and voiding dysfunction were also comparable between the groups. There were no surgical complications in the secondary TVT group.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Quality of life, as assessed by the UDI-6 inventory, and rates of urinary symptoms were similar in the secondary TVT and successful primary TOT groups. The secondary TVT procedure may present a favorable surgical option for treating recurrent SUI after failed primary TOT.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51120,"journal":{"name":"Maturitas","volume":"203 ","pages":"Article 108778"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145524920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A mixed-methods investigation of women's health-friendly organisations as perceived by menopausal working women","authors":"Claire Hardy ,&nbsp;Amanda Griffiths ,&nbsp;Eleanor Thorne ,&nbsp;Myra S. Hunter","doi":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108775","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108775","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To examine women's perspectives on what constitutes a women's health-friendly work culture, and to assess whether perceiving one's organisation as women's health-friendly is associated with menopausal symptom experience and work-related outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cross-sectional mixed-methods online survey collected self-reported quantitative and qualitative data from working menopausal women. Primary outcome measures included presence of menopausal symptoms (past four weeks), vasomotor symptom problem rating, job stress, and whether participants perceived their organisation as supportive of women's health (dependent variable). Two open-ended questions explored participants' views on what makes a work culture friendly or unfriendly to women's health.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>From the responses of 300 participants, over two-thirds (65.7%) perceived their organisation as supportive of women's health. These participants reported significantly lower job stress and less problematic vasomotor symptoms than those who did not. No significant association was found between menopausal symptom presence. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses revealed two overarching themes capturing shared perceptions of women's health-friendly and unfriendly work cultures. Theme 1 focused on the <em>people at work</em>: <em>awareness and understanding</em> of women's health, <em>attitudes towards women and work</em>, and their <em>talking about women's health at work</em>. Theme 2 addressed more structural factors of <em>organisational arrangements and provisions</em>: <em>flexibility in work arrangements</em>, <em>resources and support</em>, and the <em>physical work environment</em>.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study provides novel insights into how women perceive a health-friendly work culture and the potential relevance to menopausal experiences and work. The findings have clear implications for policy and practice, warranting further attention and investigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51120,"journal":{"name":"Maturitas","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 108775"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145696460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sexual wellbeing in vulvodynia: A narrative review","authors":"Caroline F. Pukall ,&nbsp;Melody Garas ,&nbsp;Natalie O. Rosen ,&nbsp;Sophie Bergeron ,&nbsp;Michele Chittenden","doi":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108773","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108773","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vulvodynia, defined as idiopathic chronic vulvar pain, is a prevalent and distressing condition that entails significant impacts on many aspects of psychosocial wellbeing. Given the location of the pain in vulvodynia and the unique sexual challenges faced by individuals with this condition, the purpose of the present paper was to narratively review the literature on sexual wellbeing in vulvodynia. In the face of evolving definitions of sexual wellbeing, we examined the following aspects: sexual function, pain during sexual activity, sexual satisfaction, sexual pleasure, and genital self-image. Secondary aims were to examine the frequency with which these aspects are studied, to report on premenopausal or postmenopausal status of the samples, and to describe the subtypes of vulvodynia featured in the literature. A search for articles in Medline, PsycINFO, and Web of Science examining these aspects in the last 10 years yielded 54 studies for inclusion and extraction. Results indicated that sexual function, pain during sexual activity, and sexual satisfaction are the most common aspects of sexual wellbeing studied in the vulvodynia literature. Sexual pleasure and genital self-image, however, are not frequently assessed in vulvodynia studies. In addition, the vulvodynia literature focused predominantly on premenopausal samples with provoked pain. Numerous psychosocial factors were found to be associated with sexual wellbeing outcomes, including intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects. These factors should be considered as intervention targets in the management of vulvodynia, given the widespread effects of this condition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51120,"journal":{"name":"Maturitas","volume":"203 ","pages":"Article 108773"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145467671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vitruvian Health: the future of medicine and healthcare?","authors":"Oscar H. Franco","doi":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108624","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108624","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51120,"journal":{"name":"Maturitas","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 108624"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144236341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The burden of sleep disturbances and vasomotor symptoms on work productivity, activity impairment and healthcare resource use in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women","authors":"Paula Briggs ,&nbsp;Carina Dinkel-Keuthage ,&nbsp;Joehl Nguyen ,&nbsp;Nils Schoof ,&nbsp;Carsten Moeller ,&nbsp;Kristina Rosa Bolling ,&nbsp;Kushal Modi ,&nbsp;Sheila Drakeley ,&nbsp;Lin Yang ,&nbsp;Shaloo Gupta ,&nbsp;Claudio N. Soares","doi":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108758","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108758","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To explore relationships between sleep disturbances and vasomotor symptoms (VMS) with work productivity/activity impairment (WPAI) and healthcare visits among peri- and postmenopausal women.</div></div><div><h3>Study design</h3><div>We analyzed data from peri- and postmenopausal women aged 40–65 years who participated in the National Health and Wellness 2019/2021 survey (in the US; <em>N</em> = 27,621) and 2017/2020 survey (in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK; <em>N</em> = 20,220). We used generalized linear regression to calculate adjusted estimated marginal means (EMMs) to assess differences between four subgroups based on self-reported sleep disturbances and VMS.</div></div><div><h3>Main outcome measures</h3><div>Scores on the WPAI questionnaire (higher scores indicating worse outcomes); number of healthcare visits in the previous 6 months.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Among postmenopausal women, those with symptoms had worse WPAI outcomes than those with neither type of symptom. The highest scores (worst outcomes) were seen for women with both symptoms: the EMMs for this group in the US survey, vs. those with neither symptom, were 11.9 % vs. 9.3 % for presenteeism, 12.8 % vs. 10.2 % for work productivity impairment, and 20.3 % vs. 16.2 % for activity impairment. Corresponding estimates for Europe were 17.4 % vs. 12.9 % for presenteeism, 18.8 % vs. 14.4 % for work productivity impairment, and 28.1 % vs. 20.9 % for activity impairment. Worse WPAI outcomes were not clearly observed in perimenopausal women with symptoms vs. those with no symptoms. However, both peri- and postmenopausal women with symptoms had more previous healthcare visits than those with neither symptom, especially those with sleep disturbances irrespective of co-occurring VMS.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Sleep disturbances and VMS were associated with worse WPAI scores and more healthcare visits in postmenopausal women, indicating a need for effective management of these symptoms among this population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51120,"journal":{"name":"Maturitas","volume":"203 ","pages":"Article 108758"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145474951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exercise intensity influences body composition: a 6-month comparison of high-intensity interval, moderate- and low-intensity training among healthy older adults","authors":"Grace Rose ,&nbsp;Emily Hume ,&nbsp;Daniel Blackmore ,&nbsp;Jules Mitchell ,&nbsp;Samuel Belford ,&nbsp;Tina Skinner ,&nbsp;Maryam Ziaei ,&nbsp;Stephan Riek ,&nbsp;Perry Bartlett ,&nbsp;Mia Schaumberg","doi":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108763","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108763","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To determine whether exercise of higher intensity can elicit greater improvements in body composition among older adults, given that body composition is implicated in the progression of chronic disease.</div></div><div><h3>Study design</h3><div>Sub-study of a randomised controlled trial (ACTRN12618000700235).</div></div><div><h3>Main outcome measures</h3><div>Healthy older adults (<em>n</em> = 123, average age 72.0 years, body mass index 25.8 kg/m²) completed three 45-min supervised exercise sessions per week for 6 months. Participants were randomised to treadmill-based moderate-intensity training (<em>n</em> = 45), or high-intensity interval training (<em>n</em> = 41) or a low-intensity active control condition (<em>n</em> = 37), with individualised heart-rate prescription. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry was used to quantify body composition at baseline, and at 3 and 6 months.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>For fat mass, both high- (<em>p</em> = 0.001) and moderate-intensity groups (<em>p</em> = 0.016) demonstrated similar reductions that were both larger than control, post-intervention. Only moderate-intensity training was associated with reductions in fat-free mass (FFM) at 0–3 (<em>p</em> = 0.005) and 0–6 months (<em>p</em> = 0.050), potentially exacerbating age-related reductions in muscle and other lean tissues. Overall, high-intensity training had greater between-group raw difference in lean mass than moderate-intensity training at 6 months (<em>p</em> = 0.042) and this group was the only one with a net improvement in body fat percentage (<em>p</em> = 0.017). Moderate-intensity (<em>p</em> = 0.009) and high-intensity training (<em>p</em> = 0.023) demonstrated comparable improvements in visceral adipose tissue over 0–6 months.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>High-intensity training reduced fat and maintained lean mass in apparently healthy older adults, though changes were small and not clinically meaningful compared with exercise of lower intensity and considering measurement error. Where appropriate and feasible, higher-intensity exercise training may be considered to support improvements in health-related body composition in older adults.</div><div>Protocol registration: ACTRN12618000700235.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51120,"journal":{"name":"Maturitas","volume":"203 ","pages":"Article 108763"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145419301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of menopausal hormone therapy and physical activity on sexual function among postmenopausal women","authors":"Penghui Feng ,&nbsp;Lin Lin ,&nbsp;Zhuolin Xie ,&nbsp;Xiu Lin ,&nbsp;Jingbo Huang ,&nbsp;Shouqing Lin ,&nbsp;Min Luo ,&nbsp;Qi Yu ,&nbsp;Rong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108772","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108772","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This study investigated the association between sexual function and both menopausal hormone therapy and physical activity among postmenopausal women.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this cross-sectional study, postmenopausal women who had used menopausal hormone therapy for at least three years were recruited as the intervention group, and those who had never used menopausal hormone therapy served as controls. Additionally, women were further categorized based on physical activity levels. All women were requested to complete the Female Sexual Function Index and the International Physical Activity Short Questionnaire for the Elderly surveys to evaluate their sexual function and physical activity levels.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria led to a sample size of 260 for the two study groups combined, 109 in the intervention group (who had used menopausal hormone therapy) and 151 in the control group (who had never used it). Our study revealed that menopausal hormone therapy was effective in alleviating sexual discomfort, with higher scores on the Female Sexual Function Index in the menopausal hormone therapy group compared with the control group (43.73 vs. 37.46, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Specifically, users of menopausal hormone therapy experienced notable improvements in lubrication, orgasm, and overall satisfaction. Intriguingly, increased physical activity was associated with reduced sexual discomfort. Improved lubrication and pain relief were observed in the moderate- and high-exercise group receiving hormone therapy compared with controls.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Both menopausal hormone therapy and physical exercise were related to less sexual discomfort among women in this demographic. Additionally, menopausal hormone therapy appears to enhance the benefits of exercise in addressing sexual discomfort.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51120,"journal":{"name":"Maturitas","volume":"203 ","pages":"Article 108772"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145552472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}