Research
Hormonal
Elevated leptin levels in obesity disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis, inhibiting folliculogenesis and oocyte maturation, thereby reducing fecundity.
High body fat leads to high leptin, which can disrupt your reproductive hormones and prevent ovulation. This is a biological response, not a failure of your body. Reducing body weight lowers leptin levels, which can help restore normal ovulation and improve your chances of conceiving.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Leptin, a hormone produced by adipocytes, is elevated in obese women, and raised leptin has been associated with impaired fecundity... Leptin has a regulatory role in reproductive function; it has stimulatory effects on the HPO axis at normal serum concentrations but can have inhibitory effects upon folliculogenesis and its control when levels are elevated, such as that seen during obesity.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies on leptin's effects on the HPO axis, including animal models and human observational studies.
Source
The adverse effects of obesity on conception and implantation
Christopher Brewer et al. · Reproduction · 2010
DOI 10.1530/rep-09-0568
narrative_reviewCited 492×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m²) significantly impairs female fecundity and increases the risk of miscarriage through hormonal perturbations (elevated leptin, insulin resistance, altered SHBG) and direct effects on oocyte quality and endometrial receptivity.Good
- Obesity reduces oocyte quality and maturity, leading to lower fertilization rates and increased miscarriage, independent of the number of follicles developed.Moderate
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