Sex Difference in the Effect of Obesity on 24-Hour Mean Serum Gonadotropin Levels

Abstract

To determine the effect of obesity on serum gonadotropin levels and any possible sex difference in the effect, we measured the 24-hour mean serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations in 62 healthy men with Body Mass Index (BMI) ranging from 20 - 94 and 61 healthy, regularly cycling women with BMIs ranging from 19 - 76. We also measured free testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) in these subjects. There was a significant negative correlation between serum FSH and BMI in men: FSH(IU/L) = 49.9 × BMI^-0.567; r = - 0.376, p = 0.0026; but a significant positive correlation between serum FSH and BMI in women: FSH(IU/L) =7.66 ± 0.071 × BMI; r = 0.302, p = 0.018. Serum LH was weight-invariant in both sexes. In men, free T was negatively correlated with BMI: Free T (nmol/L) = 0.74 - 0.0068 × BMI; r = 0.585, p = 0.0381; and free E2 was positively correlated with BMI: Free E2 (pmol/L) = - 1.03 ± 0.057 × BMI; r = 0.50, p = 0.0014. In obese women as a group, free T was higher than in lean women (33 ± 6.8 S.E.M. vs. 17.4 ± 2.0 pmol/L; p < 0.0001), and free E2 was also higher than in lean women: (6.90 ± 0.80 vs. 4.84 ± 0.55 pmol/L; p = 0.046). Of the many cases of hypothalamic-pituitary hormonal dysregulation that have been reported in obesity, none has been studied for sex differences. Our results mandate that possible sex differences be investigated in all cases of dysregulation.

FSH - LH

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