Physical Activity in Women with Endometriosis: Less or More Compared with a Healthy Control?

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis, i.e., endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting physical functioning. However, the specific levels of physical activity (PA) in the context of endometriosis and different disease symptoms remain unclear. METHODS: This multi-center, cross-sectional study compared PA levels and influencing factors in endometriosis patients and non-endometriosis patients. Data were collected through questionnaires. Endometriosis was surgically confirmed. A statistical analysis was performed with appropriate tests. RESULTS: The study included 460 women with endometriosis and 460 age-matched women without this condition. The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of age, education level, or stable partnership. Women with endometriosis exhibited lower PA levels, practicing fewer hours of sports weekly and climbing fewer stairs daily compared to the control group. These differences remained significant after controlling for confounding factors. Factors such as endometriosis, current dysmenorrhea, and depression were associated with decreased PA. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that women with endometriosis engage in less PA compared to those without this condition. These results highlight the need for interventions to promote increased PA in endometriosis patients and harness the associated health benefits. Further research is warranted to explore the underlying mechanisms and develop tailored exercise therapies for this population.

Sleep Disturbances Across a Woman's Lifespan: What Is the Role of Reproductive Hormones?

Fluctuations of reproductive hormones are associated with various forms of sleep disturbances and specific sleep disorders, such as insomnia or sleep-disordered breathing, across different stages of reproductive aging. During the menstrual cycle, sleep is particularly disrupted during the late luteal phase, as demonstrated by both objective and subjective measurements of sleep. Progesterone and its metabolites generally have sleep-promoting effects. A steep decline in progesterone, for example, during the late luteal phase, is associated with sleep disruption. Endogenous estrogen shows no clear correlation with sleep alterations in relation to the menstrual cycle. During pregnancy, sleep disruption is not associated with changes in estrogen or progesterone but rather with changing physiological factors, such as nocturnal micturition, gastroesophageal reflux, or musculoskeletal discomfort, all substantial factors that most likely mask any effect of hormones. Both endogenous and exogenous estrogen, as well as progesterone, are positively associated with sleep during the menopausal transition. A marked improvement of sleep disturbances is observed with perimenopausal hormone therapy. As this effect is not seen in younger women receiving contraceptive therapy, other causes of sleep disturbances, such as aging and related changes in metabolism of stress hormones, secondary effects of vasomotor symptoms, or depression, must be considered. Gonadotropins are less associated with sleep disturbances than ovarian hormones, except for during the menopausal transition where follicle-stimulating hormone is related to sleep disruption. Further, hyperandrogenism, as seen in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, is associated with sleep disturbances and specific sleep disorders, for example, obstructive sleep apnea.

The role of ovarian hormones in the pathophysiology of perimenopausal sleep disturbances: A systematic review.

Sleep disturbance is a common clinical concern throughout the menopausal transition. However, the pathophysiology and causes of these sleep disturbances remain poorly understood, making it challenging to provide appropriate therapy. Our goal was to i) review the literature about the influence of ovarian hormones on sleep in perimenopausal women, ii) summarize the potential underlying pathophysiology of menopausal sleep disturbances and iii) evaluate the implications of these findings for the therapeutic approach to sleep disturbances in the context of menopause. A systematic literature search using the databases Embase, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library was conducted. Keywords relating to ovarian hormones, sleep disturbances and menopause were used. Ultimately, 86 studies were included. Study Quality Assessment Tools of the National Institutes of Health were used for quality assessment. Results from good-quality studies demonstrated that the postmenopausal decline in estrogen and progesterone contributes to sleep disturbances in women and that timely treatment with estrogen and/or progesterone therapy improved overall sleep quality. Direct and indirect effects of both hormones acting in the central nervous system and periphery, as well as via secondary effects (e.g. reduction in vasomotor symptoms), can contribute to improvements in sleep. To strengthen external validity, studies examining neurobiological pathways are needed.