Can cold water swimming help with symptoms of menopause?
In the United Kingdom, the sun rises as women slip on bathing suits (called “swimming costumes” there) and zip-up wet suits and then inch into the cold water of an unheated pool or nearby lake. Not only is it exercise for some, but it’s a way to find community.
A new study dipped into the subculture of cold water swimming to ask: What if it could also help with menopause symptoms?
Menopause is a stage in reproductive aging when a person has stopped menstruating for 12 months, typically around age 45 to 55. Hormones such as estrogen and progesterone drop during this time, contributing to symptoms such as hot flashes, joint pain, trouble sleeping and irritability. Though it’s a natural phase of the biological process, symptoms can be debilitating and, in America especially, it’s not a commonly discussed topic, which can lend to feelings of stigma.
In some cases, women have reported not ever being educated about menopause or ways to relieve their symptoms.
Joyce Harper, a professor of reproductive science at University College London, conducted a survey in 2021 asking more than 800 postmenopausal women about their education and experienceof menopause, with nine in 10 saying they received no education; some called the experience “a nightmare.” The results were published last year in the journal Post ReproductiveHealth.
“In the discussions I’ve had with women, they really lack education,” she said.
Harper is also the author of a new study that looked at the impact of cold water swimming on menopausal symptoms, including anxiety and hot flashes.
Harper is a cold water swimmer herself, a pastime that’s popular in the U.K. She’s been doing it for about five years now, and said she’s seen a benefit.
And as a menopause researcher, her experiences with cold water swimming inspired her to learn more about its potential effects on the body. She recently participated in an ice swim in a freezing winter river, which she joked was like being inside a gin and tonic.
“I was absolutely euphoric,” she said. “There is no doubtin my mind that there is apsychological benefit.”
Her survey — which asked more than 1,000 U.K. women about their period and menopause symptoms, and their experience swimming in cold water — found that many cold water swimmers said the practice helped their symptoms.
The most commonly reported reduced symptoms were anxiety and mood swings, for both women still having periods and those in menopause. Menstruating women also reported reductions in irritability and improved sleep, while menopausal women said cold water swimming helped with low mood and hot flashes. Nearly half of all women in both groups reported reductions in anxiety from the practice, consistent with past evidence that aquatic exercise improves anxiety.
That exercise can improve mood is not new. A large body of research suggests regular movement helps with anxiety and depression, with one theory being that exercise regulates mood by controlling a stress hormone in our bodies called cortisol, while increasing feel-good chemicals called endorphins.
What Harper and her colleagues wanted to explore was the specific impact of cold water on menstrual and menopausal symptoms, and published their findings in Post Reproductive Health in January. Harper said the survey results, like many scientific studies, yielded more questionsthan answers.
“It’s only the start,” she said. “There are lots and lots of studies we can do. We need a lot more research around this.”
As a self-reported survey of participants’ symptoms and outcomes, it did not have a control group. Researchers also did not specifically measure the temperature of the water women were swimming in — though they did differentiate between swimming in the winter versus the summer, the latter offering water temperatures that can hover around 68 to 70 balmy degrees Fahrenheit.
They also looked at differences between swimming in a wet suit versus a bathing suit, and they found that women who wore wet suits while swimming were significantly more likely to report reductions in the four most common symptoms, as well as to cite sleep improvements. However, they found that women who wore bathing suits were significantly more likely to report a reduction in hot flashes.
A potential hypothesis: Cold water immersion can constrict blood vessels, which may help with menstrual and menopausal symptoms such as cramping and hot flashes.
But without objective data or a control group, it’s difficult to parse out exactly why women reported a reduction in both physical and physiological symptoms. When participants were asked why they believed coldwater swimming helped them, researchers got a multitude of responses: Some said it was the physical effect of being in cold water, but others associated their goodwill with being out in nature and surrounded by friends.
“The cold water swimming community are amazing,” said Harper. “When you’re with people who are going through the same life situations as you, I think that’s very powerful.”
The sample selection was also biased, as it was entirely composed of those participating in cold water swimming, which Harper described as an extreme sport.
“We are absolutely dealing with a subset of women that want to go out and do things,” she said. “We’re a very adventurous bunch.”
It will take future research to delineate whether the cold water alone had any objective impact on menstrual and menopausal symptoms.
“What we know is that in Western society, women are at a higher risk for anxiety and depression, and that risk increases during the perimenopausal time,” said Beth Prairie, an OB/GYN and menopause expert at Allegheny Health Network. “We also know that exercise, being outside, and having a good social network are incredibly important, no matter what.
“This study says, ‘Humans are built to move,’ ” continued Prairie. “Move your body every day like your life depends on it, because it does.”
Harper discussed the possibility of attaching a hot flash monitor to cold water swimmers and measuring changes as they swim. Prairie said researchers could measure the water temperature as well as swimmers’ body temperatures before and after cold water swimming. They could track hot flashes over time to establish a baseline, and have participants keep a symptomdiary.
Prairie was also curious to see more research about the benefits of cold water swimming on sleep, as trouble sleeping is a hallmark symptomof menopause.
The survey does make one fact clear: Talking about menopause is becoming more mainstream.
“I just had patients on [a recent] Friday that told me, ‘No one tells you about menopause symptoms. How are you supposed to get this information?’ ” said Prairie. “I do think progress is being made and that we are talking about menopause more. The U.K. is really leading the way in talking about workplace transitions for people with menopause, and it’s very interesting to watch. It’s getting better in the U.S., but we’re nowhere near where we need to be.”
Harper said she already has a new study in the pipeline more closely examining the behaviors of cold water swimmers.
“I really hope this encourages women to get out and exercise,” she said. Even if it’s not at sunrise or in a river with chunks of floating ice, stepping outside is likely to benefit.