Ovarian reserve and adipokine levels in reproductive-aged obese women

Aim. To investigate the relationship of the ovarian reserve to the levels of adipokines and sex hormones in reproductive-aged women with abdominal obesity. Subjects and methods. A total of 157 women aged 18 to 45 years with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 kg/m² were examined (a study group). A control group consisted of 93 women aged 18-45 years with a BMI of less than 25 kg/m². Anthropometric and carbohydrate and lipid metabolic parameters and the levels of sex hormones, anti-Müllerian hormone, resistin, and adiponectin were investigated. Results. The mean age of the participants with a BMI of more than 30 kg/m² was 33.1±6.1 years and that of those with a BMI of less than 25-30 kg/m² was 32.8±6.2 years. No statistically significant differences were found in age, ethnicity, and marital status between the participants of both groups; however, there was a statistically significant difference in education levels - 76.3% of the women with a BMI of less than 25 kg/m² (p>0.0001) had higher education. The obese patients were found to have a statistically significant increase in the levels of insulin, HOMA-IR, glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, thyrotrophic hormone, testosterone, and resistin and a decrease in those of high-density lipoproteins, adiponectin, and anti-Müllerian hormone. Comparative analysis made in the obese patients revealed that there was a statistically significant correlation of anti-Müllerian hormone values and hormonal status with the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (p=0.0026) and resistin (p=0.0323). Conclusion. The ovarian reserve decreases and the processes of reproductive system aging accelerate in reproductive-aged women with abdominal obesity in the presence of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia.