Effects of CPAP withdrawal on sex hormone levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: data from two randomised, controlled trials.

Authors

Fabian A Grewe, Sira Thiel, Sarah R Haile, Mirko Peitzsch, Esther I Schwarz, Noriane A Sievi, Felix Beuschlein, Malcolm Kohler, Thomas Gaisl

Published in

Sleep medicine: X. Volume 12. Pages 100201. Dec 15, 2026. Epub Sep 11, 2026.

Abstract

Sexual dysfunction (SD) is common in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Although continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy improves SD, it does not consistently modify testosterone or estradiol levels, suggesting involvement of other hormonal pathways. We analysed sex hormone levels in 70 patients with OSA before and after two weeks of CPAP withdrawal. No statistically significant treatment effects were observed for testosterone, androstenedione, gestagens, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, luteinizing hormone or follicle-stimulating hormone, whereas dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) increased after CPAP withdrawal. As DHEA secretion is adrenocorticotropic hormone-responsive, this increase may point to stress-related mechanisms, rather than direct sex steroid-mediated pathways, as potential contributors to OSA-related SD.

PMID:
42819394
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 02 Oct 2026.

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