Body composition characteristics, sex hormone levels and circadian gonadotropin fluctuations in infertile young women

The present study dealt with the interaction between body composition estimated by means of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, sex-specific fat distribution and sex hormone levels (LH, FSH, estradiol, prolactin, DHEA-S, androstendione, testosterone and SHBG) as well as LH and FSH fluctuations in infertile young women ageing between 18 and 30 years (x = 23.4 yr). Twenty patients suffered from polycystic ovaries (PCO), 15 women suffering from a mild anorexia nervosa were amenorrhoeic for more than one year. Marked associations between estradiol, testosterone, SHBG as well as the FSH output and body fat, bone mass and fat distribution were documented. PCO patients exhibited a high weight status and a typical android fat distribution which signals infertility comparable to postmenopausal women. In contrast, although anorexia patients had pathological decreased estrogen levels and were infertile at the time of investigation, their fat distribution was be classified as 'ypergynoid' and signals potential reproductive capability after a sufficient weight gain.