Sleep quality and fatigue in women with premature ovarian insufficiency receiving hormone therapy: a comparative study

To compare sleep quality and fatigue between women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) receiving hormone therapy (HT) and women of the same age with preserved ovarian function.

This was a cross-sectional study of 61 women with POI receiving HT (POI group) and 61 women with preserved ovarian function (control group) who were matched by age (±2 years). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Chalder Fatigue Scale were used to assess sleep quality and fatigue. Apart from correlation analysis, the Mann-Whitney, chi-square, or Fisher test was used to compare the groups.

Women from the POI and control groups were 35.03 ± 7.68 and 34.49 ± 7.55 years of age, respectively (P = 0.63). In the PSQI evaluation, the scores were 7.69 ± 4.18 and 8.03 ± 4.53, respectively (P = 0.79), showing no difference between the POI and control groups. However, the POI group had higher and therefore worse scores for the sleep latency component (1.74 ± 0.66 and 1.18 ± 0.87, respectively; P < 0.001) and use of medication to sleep (1.28 ± 0.88 and 0. 85 ± 0.8; P = 0.008). The POI group had a higher fatigue index than that of the control group (5.25 ± 2.78 and 3.49 ± 1.78, respectively; P < 0.001), with sleep quality being classified as poor in 69% and fatigue present in 59% of patients.

Women with POI receiving HT have poor sleep quality. They take longer to fall asleep and have a higher fatigue index.