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

Abstract Objective: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions: Women with POI receiving HT have poor sleep quality. They take longer to fall asleep and have a higher fatigue index.