The Subcutaneous Abdominal Fat and Not the Intraabdominal Fat Compartment Is Associated with Anovulation in Women with Obesity and Infertility

• Published in: The journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 2010-05, Vol.95 (5), p.2107-2112
• Main Authors: Kuchenbecker, Walter K. H., Groen, Henk, Zijlstra, Tineke M., Bolster, Johanna H. T., Slart, Riemer H. J., van der Jagt, Erik J., Muller Kobold, Anneke C., Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H. R., Land, Jolande A., Hoek, Annemieke
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdomen - anatomy & histology; Abdominal Fat - anatomy & histology; Abdominal Fat - diagnostic imaging; Abdominal Fat - pathology; Absorptiometry, Photon; Adult; Anovulation - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose - analysis; Body Mass Index; Endocrinopathies; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Infertility, Female - epidemiology; Insulin - blood; Medical sciences; Obesity - complications; Ovulation - physiology; Regression Analysis; Testosterone - blood; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vertebrates: endocrinology
• ISSN: 0021-972X; 1945-7197
• DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-1915

Context: Abdominal fat contributes to anovulation. Objective: We compared body fat distribution measurements and their contribution to anovulation in obese ovulatory and anovulatory infertile women. Design: Seventeen ovulatory and 40 anovulatory women (age, 30 ± 4 yr; body mass index, 37.7 ± 6.1 kg/m2) participated. Body fat distribution was measured by anthropometrics, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and single-sliced abdominal computed tomography scan. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to determine which fat compartments significantly contributed to anovulation. Results: Anovulatory women had a higher waist circumference (113 ± 11 vs. 104 ± 9 cm; P < 0.01) and significantly more trunk fat (23.0 ± 5.3 vs. 19.1 ± 4.2 kg; P < 0.01) and abdominal fat (4.4 ± 1.3 kg vs. 3.5 ± 0.9 kg; P < 0.05) on dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan than ovulatory women despite similar body mass index. The volume of intraabdominal fat on single-sliced abdominal computed tomography scan was not significantly different between the two groups (203 ± 56 vs. 195 ± 71 cm3; P = 0.65), but anovulatory women had significantly more sc abdominal fat (SAF) (992 ± 198 vs. 864 ± 146 cm3; P < 0.05). After multiple logistic regression analysis, only trunk fat, abdominal fat, and SAF were associated with anovulation. Conclusions: Abdominal fat is increased in anovulatory women due to a significant increase in SAF and not in intraabdominal fat. SAF and especially abdominal and trunk fat accumulation are associated with anovulation. Subcutaneous abdominal fat and especially abdominal and trunk fat accumulation are associated with anovulation.