No More Sleepless Nights in Perimenopause

NCT ID: NCT06497894

Last Updated: 2026-01-13

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

54 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2026-01-01

Study Completion Date

2027-01-30

Brief Summary

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The goal of the clinical trial is to learn if Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-I) can treat insomnia in menopausal women. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Are HRT and CBT-I effective in reducing insomnia in menopausal women?
* Are HRT and CBT-I comparable in terms of reducing insomnia severity in this population?

Researchers will compare HRT and CBT-I to an active control group, receiving sleep hygiene instructions.

Participants will:

* Complete a screening and baseline assessment
* Receive Hormone Replacement Therapy (as prescribed), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (1/week), or sleep hygiene instructions (1/week) for 8 weeks.
* Keep a daily diary (sleep e-diary), to assess sleep-quality.
* Wear an electroencephalogram (EEG) during 6 nights (3 at baseline \& 3 post-intervention), to assess deep sleep cycles and waking episodes.
* Receive a phone call for intervention compliance
* Complete a post-intervention assessment.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Insomnia Menopause

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)

Participants in this experimental arm will receive cognitive behavioral therapy specifically designed to treat insomnia (CBT-I). The therapy will be delivered over 8 weekly sessions, each lasting 60 minutes. The sessions will include techniques such as sleep restriction, stimulus control, cognitive restructuring, and relaxation training. The primary goal is to improve sleep quality and reduce the severity of insomnia.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

CBT-I is conducted in an individual setting according to the manual used in McCurry (1). Factors at the level of behavior, cognitions, and physiology that perpetuate sleep onset and sleep maintenance disorders are addressed. In addition, psychoeducation on sleep and sleep hygiene, stimulus control, sleep restriction, relaxation, structured worry time, cognitive restructuring, and relapse prevention are part of the training. Each session will include homework.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Participants in this experimental arm will receive hormone replacement therapy, specifically a combination of estrogen and progesterone over the course of 8 weeks. The therapy aims to alleviate menopausal symptoms, including insomnia, by addressing hormonal imbalances.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Intervention Type DRUG

Standard-dose continuously-combined bio-identical HRT containing transdermal estradiol 1.5 mg/d (= 2 strokes of Oestrogel® Dispenser) and oral micronized progesterone (= 1 capsule of Utrogestan® 200). This combination is the most popular HRT regimen, as it has a neutral effect on lipids, glucose, haemostasis. Participants will receive a conventional prescription for the 2 products that are covered by all health insurances in Switzerland.

Sleep Hygiene

Participants in this sham comparator arm will receive sleep hygiene instructions. Instructions will be delivered over 8 weekly sessions. The instructions will provide general information about healthy sleep habits, such as food and drink choices, a regular sleep schedule, evening routine, etc. Although being widely used in daily clinical practice, sleep hygiene shows no significant effect as monotherapy in patients with an established insomnia. The sleep hygiene condition in this study is matched to CBT-I in frequency and intensity of contact.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Sleep Hygiene

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Sleep hygiene refers to healthy sleep habits, e.g. food and drink choices, a regular sleep schedule, evening routine. Although being widely used in daily practice, sleep hygiene shows no significant effect as monotherapy in patients with an established insomnia. The sleep hygiene condition in this study is matched to CBT-I in frequency and intensity of contact.

Interventions

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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)

CBT-I is conducted in an individual setting according to the manual used in McCurry (1). Factors at the level of behavior, cognitions, and physiology that perpetuate sleep onset and sleep maintenance disorders are addressed. In addition, psychoeducation on sleep and sleep hygiene, stimulus control, sleep restriction, relaxation, structured worry time, cognitive restructuring, and relapse prevention are part of the training. Each session will include homework.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Standard-dose continuously-combined bio-identical HRT containing transdermal estradiol 1.5 mg/d (= 2 strokes of Oestrogel® Dispenser) and oral micronized progesterone (= 1 capsule of Utrogestan® 200). This combination is the most popular HRT regimen, as it has a neutral effect on lipids, glucose, haemostasis. Participants will receive a conventional prescription for the 2 products that are covered by all health insurances in Switzerland.

Intervention Type DRUG

Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene refers to healthy sleep habits, e.g. food and drink choices, a regular sleep schedule, evening routine. Although being widely used in daily practice, sleep hygiene shows no significant effect as monotherapy in patients with an established insomnia. The sleep hygiene condition in this study is matched to CBT-I in frequency and intensity of contact.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Late menopausal transition according to Stages of Reproductive Aging criteria (STRAW+10)
* Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score \> 5
* Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score \> 7
* Somato-vegetative domain of the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS)-II ≥ 4 points
* Willingness to use HRT for menopausal symptom reliefs

Exclusion Criteria

* Other sleep-wake disorders according to DSM-5, assessed with validated questionnaires (Sleep-Health Questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS))
* Untreated hormonal disorder
* Obesity (BMI ≥ 30)
* Current psychotherapy
* Current psychopharmacological therapy including regular sleep medication
* History of unsuccessful CBT-I
* Psychiatric illness
* Substance abuse (≥ 7 cigarettes/day, no more than 2 standard WHO drinks per day, other drugs)
* Shift work
* Long-haul flights across different time zones in the past 3 months
* Pregnancy and lactation
* Contraindications to HRT according to drug information (https://www.swissmedicinfo.ch/)
* Inability to follow procedures or insufficient knowledge of project language
* Inability to give consent
Minimum Eligible Age

45 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

69 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Petra Stute, Prof.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University Hospital of Bern, Department of Gynecological Endocrinology & Reproductive Medicine

Locations

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University Hospital of Bern, Department of Gynecological Endocrinology & Reproductive Medicine

Bern, , Switzerland

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Switzerland

Central Contacts

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Petra Stute, Prof.

Role: CONTACT

+41 31 632 1010

Facility Contacts

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Petra Stute, Prof.

Role: primary

+41 31 632 1010

References

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Pavicic E, Stute P, Rudzik F, Urech A, Lozza-Fiacco S. No more sleepless nights in perimenopause-an open-label, randomized, parallel-group, active controlled intervention study in perimenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms and insomnia to investigate the efficacy of hormone replacement therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of insomnia: study protocol. Trials. 2025 Dec 30. doi: 10.1186/s13063-025-09366-9. Online ahead of print.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 41462320 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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2023-00209

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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