Thesis subject

Overweight/obesity and female fertility

To determine why fertility in many overweight/obese subjects is affected, despite the fact that they have elevated leptin levels.

Background: Overweight and obesity are becoming more and more a serious health problem, not only in humans but also in pet animals. Beside to direct effects on health, obesity in females is also an important cause of fertility problems. In the past few years it has become apparent that the adipokine leptin plays an important role in the initiation of puberty and in adult fertility through its stimulating effects on the kisspeptins. Due to the fact that the kisspeptin neurons are also influenced by sex steroids and project to the GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus, they are thought to play a key role in the regulation of male and female fertility.

Aim: To determine why fertility in many overweight/obese subjects is affected, despite the fact that they have elevated leptin levels.