The subcutaneous abdominal fat and not the intraabdominal fat compartment is associated with anovulation in women with obesity and infertility

Abstract

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. Copyright © 2010 by The Endocrine Society.