Nocturia in Menopausal Women: The Link Between Two Common Problems of the Middle Age

The aim of this review is to discuss the link between menopause and nocturia and to give an overview of the increasing prevalence, risk factors, causative factors, treatment needs and options for nocturia in peri-menopausal women.

This opinion article is a narrative review based on the expertise and consensus of a variety of key opinion leaders, in combination with an extensive literature review. This literature search included a thorough analysis of potential publications on both the PubMed Database and the Web of Science and was conducted between November 2022 and December 2022. The following key words were used "nocturia" and "menopause" or "nocturnal frequency and menopause." Moreover, key words including "incidence," "prevalence," "insomnia," "estrogen therapy," "metabolic syndrome," and "hot flushes" were used in combination with the aforementioned key words. Last, the reference lists of articles obtained were screened for other relevant literature.

The perimenopause can be a trigger for inducing nocturia. Typically, obesity, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference are risk factors for developing peri-menopausal nocturia. Presumably the development of peri-menopausal nocturia is multifactorial, with interplay among bladder, sleep, and kidney problems due to estrogen depletion after the menopause. First, impaired stimulation of estrogen receptors in the urogenital region leads to vaginal atrophy and reduced bladder capacity. Moreover, menopause is associated with an increased incidence of overactive bladder syndrome. Second, estrogen deficiency can induce salt and water diuresis through blunted circadian rhythms for the secretion of antidiuretic hormone and the activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Additionally, an increased incidence of sleep disorders, including vasomotor symptoms and obstructive sleep apnea signs, is observed. Oral dryness and a consequent higher fluid intake are common peri-menopausal symptoms. Higher insulin resistance and a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases may provoke nocturia. Given the impact of nocturia on general health and quality of life, bothersome nocturia should be treated. Initially, behavioral therapy should be advised. If these modifications are inadequate, specific treatment should be proposed. Systemic hormone replacement is found to have a beneficial effect on nocturia, without influencing sodium and water clearance in patients with nocturnal polyuria. It is presumed that the improvement in nocturia from hormonal treatment is due to an improvement in sleep disorders.