Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39946383›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2025

The effectiveness and safety of physical activity and exercise on women with endometriosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Min Xie, Xuemei Qing, Hailong Huang, Linyun Zhang, Qin Tu, Hongying Guo, Jing Zhang

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Management of bowel dysfunction after pelvic surgery for endometriosis.International journal of colorectal disease · 2026
    Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Min XieDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chengdu Qingbaijiang District People's Hospital, Chengdu, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5582-1563
Xuemei QingDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chengdu Qingbaijiang District People's Hospital, Chengdu, China.
Hailong HuangDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chengdu Qingbaijiang District People's Hospital, Chengdu, China.
Linyun ZhangDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chengdu Qingbaijiang District People's Hospital, Chengdu, China.
Qin TuDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chengdu Qingbaijiang District People's Hospital, Chengdu, China.
Hongying GuoDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chengdu Qingbaijiang District People's Hospital, Chengdu, China.
Jing ZhangDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1978-0030

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEndometriosis is a debilitating, chronic disease that affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age worldwide. The most common symptom is chronic pelvic pain, which leads to a reduced quality of life and requires lifelong treatment. The current standard of care for endometriosis is pain management, which consists mainly of medical and surgical treatment. Appropriate physical activity (PA) and exercise can help manage both physical and psychological symptoms of chronic conditions. Consequently, this systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to assess the effectiveness and safety of PA and exercise in women with endometriosis.

methodsWe searched the published literature in Pubmed, Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were obtained to assess the effects of physical activity and exercise on women with endometriosis. The random or fixed effects model was used to analyze the data in meta-analysis. The results were expressed as weighted mean differences (WMD) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

resultsSix RCTs were identified in our systematic review, involving 251 patients. The results indicated that physical activity and exercise have a beneficial impact on quality of life, pain intensity, mental health, pelvic floor dysfunction, and bone density. However, due to the heterogeneity of the outcome measures and the incomplete reporting of the results in the studies included in this review, only a simple meta-analysis of two studies could be performed. The meta-analysis demonstrated that physical activity and exercise have a significant impact on the improvement of quality of life, particularly in the context of pain (P <0.0001), control and powerlessness (P <0.00001), and emotional well-being (P = 0.006).

conclusionThe present review indicates that physical activity and exercise have beneficial effects on the treatment of symptoms associated with endometriosis, particularly in terms of improving quality of life and providing pain relief. Due to the limitation in the quality of involved studies and the short duration of treatment, more RCTs with high-quality, long-term duration are needed for further validation.

trial registrationSystematic review registration: Registration number: CRD 42024547551.

Indexed as

EndometriosisExerciseExercise TherapyFemaleHumansPelvic PainQuality of LifeRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID39946383
PMCPMC11824993

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.