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Weight loss increased FSH levels in overweight postmenopausal women
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In postmenopausal women who are overweight, weight loss led to small increases in follicle-stimulating hormone, according to research published in Obesity.
The effect could occur through pathways mediated by endogenous estrogen along with other pathways, researchers suggest.
“Weight reductions may lead to increases in follicle-stimulating hormone levels in postmenopausal overweight and obese women, and such changes may result from either reduction in estradiol concentrations or other adiposity-linked markers,” the researchers wrote. “These results suggest that the gonadotropin axis is sensitive to both serum sex steroids and body composition signaling mechanisms in overweight and obese women even years after the final menstrual period.”
Catherine Kim, MD, of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues from other institutions investigated how weight-loss intervention affected follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in 382 overweight postmenopausal women involved in the Diabetes Prevention Program.
The women, all glucose-intolerant and not using exogenous estrogen, were randomly assigned to intensive lifestyle change (ILS), metformin (850 mg) or placebo. ILS was intended to help patients lose at least 7% of initial body weight through a low-calorie, low-fat diet and moderate physical activity of at least 150 minutes per week. Metformin and placebo were administered twice a day.
At 1 year, small increases in FSH were seen with ILS compared with placebo (2.3 IU/L vs. 20.81 IU/L; P<.01). FSH increases correlated with decreases in weight (r=–0.165, P<.01) and estradiol (r=–0.464, P<.0001), with adjustments for age, race/ethnicity and cohort.
The association between changes in FSH and changes in weight remained significant even after adjustment for estradiol levels.
Patients achieved greater weight reductions with metformin compared with placebo, but the changes in FSH and estradiol levels were not significant.
“While our report did not examine premenopausal or perimenopausal women, our results suggest that weight and weight loss might affect the value of FSH in these applications, and further investigation should be conducted of the relationship between weight loss and FSH in these populations,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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