Hormone therapy delivers nocturia benefit

The benefit of using hormone therapy for menopause appears to extend to nocturia prevalence and bother, according to a study.

A total of 245 postmenopausal women participated in the study. They were grouped into four according to their choice of treatment: oestrogen plus progesterone (E+P), oestrogen only in those with a prior hysterectomy, tissue-selective oestrogen complex (TSEC), and no treatment.

All patients completed two standardized questionnaires before and after treatment—the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Nocturia Module and the Targeting the individual's Aetiology of Nocturia to Guide Outcomes (TANGO)—to evaluate nocturia and its causative factors.

Hormone therapy led to a significant reduction in the prevalence of nocturia occurring twice per night, from 27.7 percent (59 out of 213) to 16.4 percent (35 out of 213). On further analysis, the reduction in nocturnal voiding frequency was greater for patients treated with E+P (p=0.018) and TSEC (p=0.018).

The effect of hormone therapy on nocturia was driven by a significant reduction in SLEEP sum score in patients treated with E+P (p<0.001) and TSEC (p=0.013).

Meanwhile, treatment with oestrogen produced a marked change in URINARY TRACT sum score only, which could be explained by a reduction in urgency prevalence (p=0.039).

Additional studies are needed to validate the present data.