Table 3 Association between obstructive sleep apnea and female infertility
From: Sleep disturbances and female infertility: a systematic review
Year | Authors | Study object | Study type | Study population | Age (Mean ± SD) | Fertility characteristics | Sleep measurements | Sleep characteristics | Other clinical features | Other evaluations | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Zhang [49] | Females with PCOS | Prospective cohort study | n = 156 | Unknown | • Level of AMH, LH • Number of retrieved oocytes, high-quality, and available embryos • Biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates | Unknown | OSA | n/a | n/a | OSA was found in 37.2% of the PCOS patients, with longer infertility duration and lower levels of AMH and LH than non-OSA patients. OSA patients required significantly higher doses of gonadotropin and had fewer retrieved oocytes, high-quality, available embryos and lower biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates. |
2023 | Ibrahim [50] | Females with infertility | Cross-sectional study | n = 258 | Unknown | • Infertility or not • Time to pregnancy • Miscarriage • Irregular menstruation • PCOS | • Sleep Apnea Scale of the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (SA-SDQ) • STOP Questionnaire (STOP) • Berlin Questionnaire | OSA | n/a | n/a | 6% infertile women was found with OSA. OSA diagnosis was associated with miscarriage, but no association was found between OSA and infertility outcomes (PCOS, time to pregnancy, irregular menstruation). |
2022 | Yang [27] | Females with PCOS | Cross-sectional study | n = 328 | 19–39 | Sex hormones’ assessment | Type III portable sleep monitor, apnea hypopnea index (AHI) | OSA | n/a | n/a | Among infertile patients with PCOS of childbearing age, 40% were found with mild OSA and 5% with severe OSA. OSA in patients with PCOS was associated with multiple alterations in indexes of reproductive endocrine and metabolic disorders. |
2021 | Eisenberg [34] | Females with PCOS and UI | Prospective cohort study | • n = 739 PCOS • n = 864 UI | • 28.9 ± 4.2(PCOS) • 32.2 ± 4.3 (UI) | • Sex hormones’ assessment • Conception and live birth | • Sleep Habits Questionnaire • Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) | • OSA • Sleep duration (< 6) | n/a | n/a | Infertile women with PCOS more commonly report sleep disturbances than those with UI. The presence of clinical symptoms of OSA or short sleep duration does not affect fertility treatment response. |
2021 | Lim [25] | Females with infertility | Retrospective cohort study | • n = 2400 infertility • n = 4800 control | 32.19 ± 6.20 | With Infertility or not | Polysomnography | OSA | n/a | n/a | Infertile women were more likely to have OSA, and women with OSA had 2.101- times the risk of female infertility compared to women without OSA. |