---
title: Does sleep affect the LH hormone differently in women with PCOS versus normal women?
description: Yes, though based on a very small study. In normal women, brief awakenings trigger LH hormone surges while REM sleep suppresses them, but in women with PCOS t
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/influence-of-sleep-stage-on-lh-pulse-initiation-in-the-normal-late-follicular-2018/
---

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- Does sleep affect the LH hormone differently in women with PCOS versus normal women?

Randomised trial, 2018

# Does sleep affect the LH hormone differently in women with PCOS versus normal women?

Yes, though based on a very small study. In normal women, brief awakenings trigger LH hormone surges while REM sleep suppresses them, but in women with PCOS this pattern is reversed.

 Early or limited evidence

8 normal women (cycle day 7-11) and 7 women with PCOS

## What they did

8 normal women (cycle days 7-11) and 7 women with PCOS underwent blood sampling for hormones and polysomnography (sleep recording) simultaneously. Researchers analyzed when LH hormone pulses occurred in relation to sleep stages.

## What they found

In normal women, the 5 minutes before an LH pulse contained more brief awakenings (wake: 22.3% vs 9.1%, p = 0.0111) and less REM sleep (4.4% vs 18.8%, p = 0.0162). In women with PCOS, more slow-wave sleep occurred before LH pulses (20.9% vs 6.7%, p = 0.0089). Women with PCOS also had higher LH pulse frequency during REM sleep.

## What it means for you

The normal relationship between sleep and hormone release does not work the same way in PCOS. This difference may contribute to the hormonal imbalances seen in PCOS. However, this is a very small study (only 8-7 participants) and the normal women were only studied during one part of their cycle.

8

Number of normal women studied

7

Number of women with PCOS

22.3 vs 9.1%

Wake epochs before LH pulses in normal women

## About the study

Original title Influence of Sleep Stage on LH Pulse Initiation in the Normal Late Follicular Phase and in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Authors Lu C, Hutchens EG, Farhy LS et al. Journal Neuroendocrinology Year 2018 Study design Randomised trial Participants 8 What was tested None - observational study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1159/000488110](https://doi.org/10.1159/000488110)

## Topics

[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[GnRH agonists and ovarian suppression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-gnrh/)[Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-pcos/)

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