Physical Activity as an Adjunctive Therapy for Endometriosis: A Narrative Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/QS.2026.66.73909Keywords
endometriosis, physical activity, exercise therapy, chronic pain, quality of life, inflammationAbstract
Background
Endometriosis is a chronic condition that affects approximately one in ten women of reproductive age worldwide. Clinical expression varies among patients, but the most prevalent include pelvic pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, dyspareunia, and impaired fertility. Treatment usually relies on alleviating the symptoms by administering pain medications, hormonal therapies, or performing surgical procedures, which are often associated with side effects and variable long-term outcomes. Physical activity can be considered a beneficial complementary intervention because it may improve pain modulation and mental health. Nevertheless, current research has not yet established consistent evidence regarding the effectiveness of exercise in improving disease outcomes in women with endometriosis. This narrative review aims to summarize and critically evaluate current evidence regarding the impact of physical activity on women with endometriosis.
Material and methods
This narrative review was based on studies identified through searches of the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Europe PMC databases. Relevant studies were reviewed to evaluate the effects of physical activity on pain, quality of life, and other symptoms associated with endometriosis.
Results
The current evidence suggests that physical activity and exercise may reduce pain in endometriosis, improve quality of life, and enhance psychological well-being. However, the available evidence remains limited because of the small number of randomized controlled trials, exercise interventions, and variability in outcome measures.
Conclusions
Physical activity appears to be safe and could be a beneficial adjunctive therapy for the management of endometriosis symptoms. Current literature remains limited and yields insufficient results. Therefore, further high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to establish evidence-based exercise recommendations for women with endometriosis.References
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Copyright (c) 2026 Martyna Lazar, Łukasz Szkaradowski, Szymon Baranowski, Julia Lewańska, Krzysztof Bogdański, Zuzanna Kruszyńska, Anastasiya Aleshchyk, Michał Adamczak, Marcel Majewski, Bogumił Libura
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