Randomised trial, 2018
Does sleep affect the LH hormone differently in women with PCOS versus normal women?
Yes, though based on a very small study. In normal women, brief awakenings trigger LH hormone surges while REM sleep suppresses them, but in women with PCOS this pattern is reversed.
What they did
8 normal women (cycle days 7-11) and 7 women with PCOS underwent blood sampling for hormones and polysomnography (sleep recording) simultaneously. Researchers analyzed when LH hormone pulses occurred in relation to sleep stages.
What they found
In normal women, the 5 minutes before an LH pulse contained more brief awakenings (wake: 22.3% vs 9.1%, p = 0.0111) and less REM sleep (4.4% vs 18.8%, p = 0.0162). In women with PCOS, more slow-wave sleep occurred before LH pulses (20.9% vs 6.7%, p = 0.0089). Women with PCOS also had higher LH pulse frequency during REM sleep.
What it means for you
The normal relationship between sleep and hormone release does not work the same way in PCOS. This difference may contribute to the hormonal imbalances seen in PCOS. However, this is a very small study (only 8-7 participants) and the normal women were only studied during one part of their cycle.
8
Number of normal women studied
7
Number of women with PCOS
22.3 vs 9.1%
Wake epochs before LH pulses in normal women
About the study
- Original title
- Influence of Sleep Stage on LH Pulse Initiation in the Normal Late Follicular Phase and in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Authors
- Lu C, Hutchens EG, Farhy LS et al.
- Journal
- Neuroendocrinology
- Year
- 2018
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 8
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1159/000488110
Topics
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