English

Abstract

BACKGROUND Obesity has become an epidemic worldwide. Several mechanisms are involved in the relationship of fertility and obesity, including metabolic and reproductive functions. In light of the fact that most of the causes of infertility are treatable, there is a need to document the diagnostic findings in overweight and obese infertile women. The causes of infertility prevalent in a particular region can be provided by hospital-based studies. So, the present study is designed to find out the common causes of infertility in overweight & obese women and to gain knowledge regarding the prevalence of primary and secondary infertility among these infertile women. METHODS The data of 115 infertile women (18 to 45 years) were collected from hospitals under Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Mangalore retrospectively. Data of history of previous conception, body mass index (BMI), type of infertility, duration of infertility, age and the causes of infertility were collected. The prevalence of each cause was evaluated. RESULTS Among 115 infertile women, 92 (80 %) were pre–obese and 23 (20 %) were obese (P - .001). Primary infertility was most common in pre obese women and secondary infertility in obese women which was statistically significant (P < .05). Ovulatory dysfunction was the most common cause in obese infertile women (P - .004), whereas in pre obese women, it was uterine and adnexal causes. CONCLUSIONS Comparatively, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can avoid fertility problems in pre obese women, because the effect of BMI on hypothalamic–pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is higher in obese women in whom ovulatory disorders were the leading cause. The significance of weight reduction before pregnancy should be informed to overweight and obese patients and should be aided to lose weight. Treatment of anaemia itself may resolve the infertility issues and should be taken as a first line treatment in all cases. KEYWORDS Female Infertility, Adipose Tissue, Obesity, Infertility Causes, Ovulatory Dysfunction