Is BMI Sufficient to Evaluate the Association between Obesity and Ovarian Reserves?

Abstract

Body fat content and distribution might have an effect on ovarian reserves. Here, we studied the effects of body fat distribution on the antral follicle count (AFC) of women who consulted for infertility. In this two-center study, the ovarian reserves of patients who came to the hospital for infertility treatment was evaluated based on their AFC and early follicular phase follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels. In addition, adiposity was evaluated using their body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratios (WHRs), the subcutaneous tissue thickness of the bicipital and tricipital regions, and the body adiposity index (BAI). Body fat distribution was evaluated using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). We evaluated 58 patients in this study. While we failed to show a relationship between BMI and WHR based on the AFC, there was a significant relationship between body fat percentage and the AFC. The AFC in patients with < 35% body fat and ≥ 35% body fat was 11.54 ± 4.27 and 9.00 ± 3.95, respectively (p = 0.029). There was no significant relationship between the AFC and the WHR, BAI, and bicipital and tricipital subcutaneous tissue thickness. BMI may not reflect the adiposity of every patient. When evaluating the ovarian reserves of patients, we must consider other measures of obesity that reflect body fatness. Further large studies must be conducted to investigate the relationship between body fat and infertility.