Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Oct 19, 2024; 14(10): 1605-1610
Published online Oct 19, 2024. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i10.1605
Hormone replacement therapy for menopausal mood swings and sleep quality: The current evidence
Sanja Borozan, Abul Bashar M Kamrul-Hasan, Joseph M Pappachan
Sanja Borozan, Department of Endocrinology, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
Sanja Borozan, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
Abul Bashar M Kamrul-Hasan, Department of Endocrinology, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh 2200, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Joseph M Pappachan, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Preston PR2 9HT, United Kingdom
Joseph M Pappachan, Faculty of Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, United Kingdom
Joseph M Pappachan, Department of Endocrinology, Kathmandu Medical College, Manipal University, Manipal 576104, India
Author contributions: Borozan S contributed to the initial drafting of the work by performing the literature search and interpretation of relevant literature; Kamrul-Hasan ABM prepared the figures for the manuscript and contributed additionally to the drafting process; Pappachan JM conceptualized the idea and provided overall supervision to the drafting process and figure preparation; All authors contributed to the revision of the article for important intellectual content, and all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Joseph M Pappachan, MD, FRCP, Academic Editor, Consultant Endocrinologist, Professor, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Sharoe Green Lane North, Preston PR2 9HT, United Kingdom. drpappachan@yahoo.co.in
Received: July 12, 2024
Revised: September 10, 2024
Accepted: September 18, 2024
Published online: October 19, 2024
Processing time: 96 Days and 14.8 Hours
Abstract

Marked alterations in the normal female hormonal milieu in the perimenopausal period significantly affect women’s health, leading to decreased well-being, psychological distress, and impaired quality of life. Common menopausal symptoms include hot flashes, sleep and mood changes, fatigue, weight gain, and urogenital disturbances. Clinicians often neglect mood swings and disrupted sleep, although those can significantly limit the productivity of women and impair their cognitive function and mental health. Evidence-based management should include a personalized, holistic approach to alleviate symptoms and careful consideration of the risks vs benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), with due consideration of personal preferences. A research paper in the recent issue of the World Journal of Psychiatry by Liu et al investigated the role of HRT in altering mood changes and impaired sleep quality in menopausal women, which helps us to understand the benefits of this treatment approach.

Keywords: Menopausal symptoms; Mood changes; Sleep quality; Hormone replacement therapy; Quality of life

Core Tip: A structured and scientifically tailored approach is needed to provide safe and effective relief from menopausal symptoms, retrieve previous quality of life, and avoid complications in menopausal women. Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is an important therapeutic option not only to alleviate menopausal symptoms but also to improve general, musculoskeletal, and emotional health. Liu et al investigated the role of HRT in altering the mood changes and sleep hygiene of menopausal women in a research paper in the recent issue of the World Journal of Psychiatry, the theme of this editorial.