Changes in Serum Leptin During Phases of Menstrual Cycle of Fertile Women: Relationship to Age Groups and Fertility

Abstract

BackgroundIt is established that serum level of leptin is affected by transitional phases of reproduction. It is also reported that the puberty is triggered when body fat and circulating levels of leptin exceed the critical thresholds, butthere is less focus on the serum level of leptin and its relationship with different phases of menstrual cycle and the fertility.ObjectivesThe present study try to determines the serum concentration of leptin and fertility hormonesin the various phases of normal menstrual cycle of fertile women and compare any difference in serum concentration between age groups of 18-30 years and 31-41 years It is a well known fact that fertility start to decrease from age 31 years.Patients and MethodsA total of 118 healthy fertile women with normal menstrual cycle aged between 18-40, were divided into two age groups (n = 65) 18-30 years and (n = 53) 31-40 years. Serum concentrations of leptin, estradiol, progesterone, luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were measured on day1 (menstrual phase), day7 (proliferative/follicular phase), day14 (ovulatory phase), day21 (luteal phase) and day 28(secretory phase) of the menstrual cycle.ResultsThere was a significant increase (P < 0.05) in leptin levels on day 14 (12.75 + 5.8 ng/mL) and day 21 (12.91 + 3.2 ng/mL) for age group 18-30 years compared to day 14 (11.60 + 3.2 ng/mL) and day 21 (11.60 + 3.2 ng/mL) for age group 31-40 years. Leptin was positively correlated with FSH on day 14, with LH on day 7 and day 21; likewise, with progesterone on day 21 and day 28 and with estradiol on day 7 and day 14 for both age groups.ConclusionsThe serum leptin level was at the lowest level during the menstrual and secretory phase and the highest level was around the luteal phase. The significant increase ofleptin in the younger age group raise this question whether circulating leptin has any role to play in the age of pregnancy and fertility. Data in this study shows that leptin level was affected with increase in age; therefore changes in leptin level will affect fertility in this study suggest that there may be a relation between leptin levels and fertility.

Changes in circulating leptin levels during the initial stage of cessation are associated with smoking relapse

“…This gender by relapse effect is unique and does not appear to be the result of gender-based differences in relapse, which has been found elsewhere (Ward et al 1997) but not in this study. While leptin changes with menstruation have been documented (Ajala et al 2013; Asimakopoulos et al 2009), an equal number of women were in the luteal phase versus the follicular phase during testing and there was no association between menstrual phase and relapse status (al’Absi et al 2015). Other studies of addiction have shown that leptin increases with abstinence from alcohol abuse equally across both genders, though correlations with craving in females but not males has been found in some (Kraus et al 2004) but not all studies (Hillemacher et al 2007).…”

Rapid steroid hormone actions via membrane receptors

“…Estrogen supplementation in ovariectomized female rats restored central leptin sensitivity and reversed body fat redistribution [109]. In humans, serum leptin concentration has been shown to fluctuate during the menstrual cycle in fertile women, peaking at day 14, or at ovulation, like estradiol [110]. Leptin has been shown to regulate ERα and ERβ expression through an ERK signaling pathway in growth zone chondrocytes [111].…”

Serum leptin levels and reproductive function during the menstrual cycle

“…7–19 The source of luteal phase leptin may be the corpus luteum, which has been shown to produce leptin in humans and in a variety of animals. 38–43 Supporting this idea, our study showed lower leptin during the latter half of anovulatory cycles, i.e.…”