OSA in Women: Associations With Reproductive Aging and Screening Challenges.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanistic concepts and existing literature without a systematic search or meta-analysis
PubMed 40885537 · doi:10.1016/j.chest.2025.08.001
What was done
This narrative review synthesized literature on the relationship between reproductive aging (natural and surgical menopause) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adult women, as well as sex-specific differences in symptom presentation and screening barriers.
What was found
The abstract reports that OSA affects up to 23% of women compared to 49% of men. Women are more likely to present with insomnia and mood disturbances and less likely to exhibit loud snoring and witnessed apneas. Decline in ovarian hormones (estrogen and progesterone, which stabilize breathing) during natural or surgical menopause independently increases OSA susceptibility alongside chronological aging. The abstract provides no primary data, statistical tests, or pooled quantitative effect sizes.
Why it matters
Standard OSA screening tools reflect male-predominant phenotypes, leading to systematic underdiagnosis in women. Incorporating reproductive stage and female-typical symptoms into screening could improve clinical detection.
Limits
As a narrative review, the paper lacks systematic search criteria, quality appraisal, and meta-analytic synthesis. The abstract provides no sample sizes, specific numerical effect sizes, or risk estimates.
Cited by
- supports The prevalence of sleep apnea in post-menopausal women is approximately 25%.