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Medscape
22-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Hormonal Shifts Plus Sleepless Nights? Oxytocin May Help
TOPLINE: Oxytocin appeared to influence mood disturbances brought on by the sleep disruptions associated with the dramatic hormonal shifts in the postpartum period as well as menopausal states, shedding light on oxytocin's potentially protective role in those times of mental health vulnerability. METHODOLOGY: Thirty-eight premenopausal women took part in two 5-night inpatient sleep experiment protocols — one under a normal hormonal state, and the other while undergoing estradiol suppression, mimicking the hormonal shifts of the postpartum and menopausal periods. After 2 nights of uninterrupted sleep, participants were subjected to sleep interruptions for the following 3 nights, with similar sleep duration in both conditions. They were assessed for serum oxytocin each evening and for mood disturbances, using the Profile of Mood States, each morning, in both estradiol states. TAKEAWAY: In both estradiol states, sleep interruptions were significantly associated with increased oxytocin levels (mean, 28.7 pg/mL before sleep interruption vs 36.4 pg/mL after; P = .002) and mood disturbances (5.5 vs 12.3; P = .0001). Meanwhile, higher oxytocin levels before sleep disruption were associated with reductions in mood disturbances the following day. Increases in mood disturbances resulting from sleep disruptions were also associated with increased oxytocin levels the following day. IN PRACTICE: 'Millions of women struggle with mood symptoms during reproductive transitions, yet treatments often focus narrowly on antidepressants or hormone therapy,' said first author Irene Gonsalvez, MD, associate psychiatrist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and instructor at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, in a press statement. 'Understanding oxytocin's potential as a natural mood modulator could help us better support women's mental health during these times,' she added. The study showed that 'oxytocin levels rise in response to stress-related sleep disruption, and that women with higher oxytocin levels before disrupted sleep experienced less mood disturbance the next day,' Gonsalvez explained. 'These results point toward oxytocin as a potential biological buffer during periods of hormonal and emotional vulnerability.' SOURCE: The study was presented at ENDO 2025: The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting. LIMITATIONS: The authors noted that mechanistic studies are needed to better understand the direction and causality of the effects of oxytocin levels, mood, and sleep disruptions. DISCLOSURES: The research was supported by the Brigham and Women's Hospital Connors Center WHISPR Award, the Dupont-Warren HMS Research Fellowship, and the National Institute on Aging.
Medscape
15-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
History of Fracture Prompts Women To Get Bone Density Scan
A substantial proportion of perimenopausal and menopausal women expressed willingness to undergo assessment for osteoporosis, especially among those of Chinese ethnicity and those with an older age, fracture history, and higher scores in perception of their osteoporosis risk. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted this cross-sectional study utilizing self-administered questionnaires to determine the factors that affect the willingness of perimenopausal and menopausal women to undergo bone mineral densitometry for assessment of osteoporosis. They recruited 342 women aged 50 years or older from primary care clinics in Singapore and assessed their health beliefs related to osteoporosis using a scale and willingness to undergo an osteoporosis assessment via a single question. This study asked participants about the benefits and barriers to calcium intake and exercise; higher scores indicated stronger health beliefs. TAKEAWAY: Two thirds of participants (66.1%) expressed willingness to undergo an osteoporosis assessment. Chinese ethnicity ( P = .016), older age ( P = .019), and a history of fractures ( P = .02) were associated with increased odds of willingness to undergo a screening for assessment of osteoporosis. = .016), older age ( = .019), and a history of fractures ( = .02) were associated with increased odds of willingness to undergo a screening for assessment of osteoporosis. Women with higher risk perception scores for osteoporosis and those with higher exercise benefit scores were more likely to express willingness to undergo assessment ( P < .001 and P = .002, respectively). IN PRACTICE: 'Knowledge of these factors will be useful when developing interventions to improve preventive behaviours for osteoporosis and increase uptake of osteoporosis assessment for those at risk,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: The study was led by Jacqueline Giovanna De Roza of the National Healthcare Group Polyclinics in Singapore. It was published online on May 9, 2025, in BMC Primary Care . LIMITATIONS: Due to the cross-sectional design, the researchers could not establish that certain factors caused women to be willing to undergo an assessment. Potential recall bias may have existed due to self-administered questionnaires. The study did not assess how serious participants were about their reported beliefs about osteoporosis. DISCLOSURES: This study did not receive any funding. The authors declared having no conflicts of interests. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. Credit Lead image: E+/Getty Images Medscape Medical News © 2025 WebMD, LLC Cite this: History of Fracture Prompts Women To Get Bone Density Scan - Medscape - May 15, 2025.
