Body Fat as Determinant of Female Gonadal Dysfunction

Reproduction requires from women enough energy depots to warrant an adequate nutritional supply to the fetus. Hence, adipose tissue is able to communicate with female hypothalamic-pituitary-ovary axis. The hypothesis of the project is that abnormalities in the quantity (absolute and relative to lean body mass), distribution and/or function of adipose tissue are associated with functional forms of female gonadal dysfunction in predisposed women, in a spectrum of anomalies that go from hypothalamic amenorrhea to the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). To challenge this hypothesis, the investigators will study 5 groups of 10 women each: women with exercise-associated hypothalamic amenorrhea, women without ovulatory dysfunction that exercise equally, non-hyperandrogenic patients with PCOS, hyperandrogenic patients with PCOS, and healthy control women comparable to those with PCOS. The aims of the study will be: Primary objective: To identify novel signalling factors originating from adipose tissue and muscle using targeted and nontargeted evaluation of the proteome and of gene expression of superficial subcutaneous fat, deep subcutaneous fat (which mimics visceral adipose tissue) and skeletal muscle. Secondary objectives: 1. To study the serum adipokine profile - including those identified by the primary objective - and circulating gut hormones during fasting and after a glucose load in the 5 groups of women, and their associations with sexual hormones and body fat distribution. 2. To study body composition and body fat distribution in these women and their relationships with: 2.1, Sex steroid profiles. 2.2. Classic cardiovascular risk factors: carbohydrate metabolism, lipid profiles and blood pressure. 2.3 Markers of low-grade chronic inflammation. 2.4. Oxidative stress markers. 2.5. Cardiovascular autonomic function. 2.6. Surrogate markers of subclinical atherosclerosis. 2.7. Circulating concentrations of endocrine disruptors. 2.8. Oral and gut microbiome. The results will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms linking body energy depots with the female reproductive axis and, hopefully, the identification of potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of the disorders studied here.

NCT Number	NCT03841981
Lead Sponsor	Fundacion para la Investigacion Biomedica del Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal Collaborators: Instituto de Salud Carlos III, University of Alcala
Conditions	Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
Enrollment	50 participants
Start Date	2020-01-31
Primary Completion	2025-06-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2025-12-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2025-08-12