Body Fat as Determinant of Female Gonadal Dysfunction
Amount, Distribution and Dysfunction of Body Fat as Determinants of Female Gonadal Dysfunction: From Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea to the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
1 other identifier
observational
50
1 country
1
Brief Summary
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:
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P25-P50 for all trials
Started Jan 2020
Longer than P75 for all trials
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
February 8, 2019
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
February 15, 2019
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
January 31, 2020
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
June 30, 2025
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
December 31, 2025
CompletedAugust 12, 2025
August 1, 2025
5.4 years
February 8, 2019
August 6, 2025
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Adipokine and myokine signaling identification
Up to 5 years
Secondary Outcomes (14)
Circulating adipokine profile
Up to 5 years
Appetite regulation hormonal profile
Up to 5 years
Association between body mass index and sex steroids
Up to 5 years
Association between percentage of fat mass with respect to total body weight and sex steroids
Up to 5 years
Association between percentage of lean mass with respect to total body weight and sex steroids
Up to 5 years
- +9 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (5)
I- Hypothalamic amenorrhea
10 women with exercise-associated hypothalamic amenorrhea
II- Hyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndrome
5 lean women with hyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndrome. 5 women with weight excess and hyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndrome.
III- Non-hyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndrome
5 lean women with non-hyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndrome 5 women with weight excess and non-hyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndrome
IV- Trained women without ovulatory dysfunction
10 women who exercise as intensively as women with exercise-associated hypothalamic amenorrhea but with normal ovulatory cycles.
V- Non-hyperandrogenic healthy women
10 women matched by age and body mass index with women with polycystic ovary syndrome who do not perform physical activity on a regular basis
Interventions
* Weight and height. * Waist-to-hip ratio. * Body composition: Bioelectrical impedance and \[Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)\].
Energy availability assessment.
* Lipid profile. * Oral glucose tolerance test: plasma glucose and insulin, insulin sensitivity indices, gastrointestinal hormones, adipokines, oxidative stress markers. * Sex steroid profile. * Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis study. * Ferrokinetic study. * Subclinical chronic inflammatory markers.
* Polycystic ovarian morphology. * Carotid intima-media thickness. * Eco-FAT: Ultrasound measurements of adipose tissue depots including sc, preperitoneal, intraperitoneal (ip), mesenteric, and perirenal fat thickness.
A\&D TM2430EX oscillometric devices (A\&D Company Limited, Tokyo, Japan).
Subcutaneous fat tissue and muscle tissue for proteomics an gene expression studies.
Parasympathetic and sympathetic responses to deep breathing, Valsalva's maneuver and orthostatism.
Microbiome studies.
Eligibility Criteria
Patients with exercise-associated functional amenorrhea and polycystic ovary syndrome will be consecutively recruited from our Reproductive Endocrinolgy clinic. Those premenopausal adult women are referred to clinic because of symptoms of functional androgen excess such as hirsutism or menstrual dysfunction. The control group (Groups IV and V) will include healthy female volunteers recruited - contemporarily with the recruitment of patients - from the hospital's staff and overweight or obese women seeking medical attention in our department.
You may qualify if:
- Group I
- Body mass index between 18.5 and 25.0 kg/m2.
- Group 1 ovulatory dysfunction \[World Health Organization (WHO) classification\].
- Normal/low gonadotrophin levels \[follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing (LH) \< 10 IU/l\] and low estradiol (\< 50 pg/ml).
- Moderate-vigorous intensity physical activity (\> 5 hours per week) plus low energy availability (\< 30 kcal/per kg of lean mass).
- Informed consent signed.
- Group II:
- Polycystic ovary syndrome phenotype I, II and III \[National Institute of Health (NIH)-2012\] with hyperandrogenemia (http://prevention.nih.gov/workshops/2012/resources.aspx).
- Body mass index between 18.5 and 40.0 kg/m2.
- Informed consent signed.
- Group III:
- Polycystic ovary syndrome phenotype IV (NIH-2012) (http://prevention.nih.gov/workshops/2012/resources.aspx).
- Body mass index between 18.5 and 40.0 kg/m2.
- Informed consent signed.
- Group IV:
- +11 more criteria
You may not qualify if:
- Asherman's syndrome or outflow tract disorders.
- Current smoking or alcohol intake \> 40 g per day.
- Previous diagnosis of glucose intolerance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, known heart or lung diseases, kidney disease, liver disease, celiac disease or any other malabsorptive condition, chronic inflammatory disease or malignancy.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Endocrinology and Nutrition
Madrid, Madrid, 28034, Spain
Related Publications (27)
Ortiz-Flores AE, Luque-Ramirez M, Fernandez-Duran E, Alvarez-Blasco F, Escobar-Morreale HF. Diagnosis of disorders of glucose tolerance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at a tertiary care center: fasting plasma glucose or oral glucose tolerance test? Metabolism. 2019 Apr;93:86-92. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2019.01.015. Epub 2019 Jan 30.
PMID: 30710572BACKGROUNDLuque-Ramirez M, Jimenez-Mendiguchia L, Garcia-Cano A, Fernandez-Duran E, de Dios Rosa V, Nattero-Chavez L, Ortiz-Flores AE, Escobar-Morreale HF. Certified testosterone immunoassays for hyperandrogenaemia. Eur J Clin Invest. 2018 Dec;48(12):e13029. doi: 10.1111/eci.13029. Epub 2018 Oct 8.
PMID: 30229887BACKGROUNDInsenser M, Murri M, Del Campo R, Martinez-Garcia MA, Fernandez-Duran E, Escobar-Morreale HF. Gut Microbiota and the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Influence of Sex, Sex Hormones, and Obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018 Jul 1;103(7):2552-2562. doi: 10.1210/jc.2017-02799.
PMID: 29897462BACKGROUNDEscobar-Morreale HF. Polycystic ovary syndrome: definition, aetiology, diagnosis and treatment. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2018 May;14(5):270-284. doi: 10.1038/nrendo.2018.24. Epub 2018 Mar 23.
PMID: 29569621BACKGROUNDEscobar-Morreale HF. The Role of Androgen Excess in Metabolic Dysfunction in Women : Androgen Excess and Female Metabolic Dysfunction. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2017;1043:597-608. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-70178-3_26.
PMID: 29224112BACKGROUNDMontes-Nieto R, Insenser M, Murri M, Fernandez-Duran E, Ojeda-Ojeda M, Martinez-Garcia MA, Luque-Ramirez M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in young adults: Obesity increases fasting levels only in men whereas glucose ingestion, and not protein or lipid intake, increases postprandial concentrations regardless of sex and obesity. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017 Nov;61(11). doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201700425. Epub 2017 Aug 29.
PMID: 28722287BACKGROUNDEscobar-Morreale HF, Martinez-Garcia MA, Montes-Nieto R, Fernandez-Duran E, Temprano-Carazo S, Luque-Ramirez M. Effects of glucose ingestion on circulating inflammatory mediators: Influence of sex and weight excess. Clin Nutr. 2017 Apr;36(2):522-529. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2016.01.015. Epub 2016 Jan 29.
PMID: 26874912BACKGROUNDInsenser M, Montes-Nieto R, Martinez-Garcia MA, Escobar-Morreale HF. A nontargeted study of muscle proteome in severely obese women with androgen excess compared with severely obese men and nonhyperandrogenic women. Eur J Endocrinol. 2016 Mar;174(3):389-98. doi: 10.1530/EJE-15-0912. Epub 2015 Dec 15.
PMID: 26671973BACKGROUNDBorruel S, Molto JF, Alpanes M, Fernandez-Duran E, Alvarez-Blasco F, Luque-Ramirez M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Surrogate markers of visceral adiposity in young adults: waist circumference and body mass index are more accurate than waist hip ratio, model of adipose distribution and visceral adiposity index. PLoS One. 2014 Dec 5;9(12):e114112. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114112. eCollection 2014.
PMID: 25479351BACKGROUNDLuque-Ramirez M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Polycystic ovary syndrome as a paradigm for prehypertension, prediabetes, and preobesity. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2014 Dec;16(12):500. doi: 10.1007/s11906-014-0500-6.
PMID: 25304109BACKGROUNDEscobar-Morreale HF, Alvarez-Blasco F, Botella-Carretero JI, Luque-Ramirez M. The striking similarities in the metabolic associations of female androgen excess and male androgen deficiency. Hum Reprod. 2014 Oct 10;29(10):2083-91. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deu198. Epub 2014 Aug 7.
PMID: 25104855BACKGROUNDMurri M, Insenser M, Luque M, Tinahones FJ, Escobar-Morreale HF. Proteomic analysis of adipose tissue: informing diabetes research. Expert Rev Proteomics. 2014 Aug;11(4):491-502. doi: 10.1586/14789450.2014.903158. Epub 2014 Mar 31.
PMID: 24684164BACKGROUNDMurri M, Insenser M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Metabolomics in polycystic ovary syndrome. Clin Chim Acta. 2014 Feb 15;429:181-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2013.12.018. Epub 2013 Dec 22.
PMID: 24368231BACKGROUNDLuque-Ramirez M, Marti D, Fernandez-Duran E, Alpanes M, Alvarez-Blasco F, Escobar-Morreale HF. Office blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and echocardiographic abnormalities in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: role of obesity and androgen excess. Hypertension. 2014 Mar;63(3):624-9. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.113.02468. Epub 2013 Dec 9.
PMID: 24324038BACKGROUNDEscobar-Morreale HF. Reproductive endocrinology: Menstrual dysfunction--a proxy for insulin resistance in PCOS? Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2014 Jan;10(1):10-1. doi: 10.1038/nrendo.2013.232. Epub 2013 Nov 26. No abstract available.
PMID: 24275746BACKGROUNDInsenser M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Proteomics and polycystic ovary syndrome. Expert Rev Proteomics. 2013 Oct;10(5):435-47. doi: 10.1586/14789450.2013.837665. Epub 2013 Oct 3.
PMID: 24087928BACKGROUNDMurri M, Insenser M, Bernal-Lopez MR, Perez-Martinez P, Escobar-Morreale HF, Tinahones FJ. Proteomic analysis of visceral adipose tissue in pre-obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2013 Aug 25;376(1-2):99-106. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2013.06.010. Epub 2013 Jun 18.
PMID: 23791845BACKGROUNDLuque-Ramirez M, Martinez-Garcia MA, Montes-Nieto R, Fernandez-Duran E, Insenser M, Alpanes M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Sexual dimorphism in adipose tissue function as evidenced by circulating adipokine concentrations in the fasting state and after an oral glucose challenge. Hum Reprod. 2013 Jul;28(7):1908-18. doi: 10.1093/humrep/det097. Epub 2013 Apr 4.
PMID: 23559188BACKGROUNDInsenser M, Montes-Nieto R, Murri M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Proteomic and metabolomic approaches to the study of polycystic ovary syndrome. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2013 May 6;370(1-2):65-77. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2013.02.009. Epub 2013 Feb 17.
PMID: 23422073BACKGROUNDBorruel S, Fernandez-Duran E, Alpanes M, Marti D, Alvarez-Blasco F, Luque-Ramirez M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Global adiposity and thickness of intraperitoneal and mesenteric adipose tissue depots are increased in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Mar;98(3):1254-63. doi: 10.1210/jc.2012-3698. Epub 2013 Feb 5.
PMID: 23386652BACKGROUNDMontes-Nieto R, Insenser M, Martinez-Garcia MA, Escobar-Morreale HF. A nontargeted proteomic study of the influence of androgen excess on human visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue proteomes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Mar;98(3):E576-85. doi: 10.1210/jc.2012-3438. Epub 2013 Jan 24.
PMID: 23348399BACKGROUNDAlvarez-Blasco F, Luque-Ramirez M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Diet composition and physical activity in overweight and obese premenopausal women with or without polycystic ovary syndrome. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2011 Dec;27(12):978-81. doi: 10.3109/09513590.2011.579658. Epub 2011 May 24.
PMID: 21609197BACKGROUNDInsenser M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Application of proteomics to the study of polycystic ovary syndrome. J Endocrinol Invest. 2011 Dec;34(11):869-75. doi: 10.3275/8108. Epub 2011 Nov 21.
PMID: 22104628BACKGROUNDEscobar-Morreale HF, Samino S, Insenser M, Vinaixa M, Luque-Ramirez M, Lasuncion MA, Correig X. Metabolic heterogeneity in polycystic ovary syndrome is determined by obesity: plasma metabolomic approach using GC-MS. Clin Chem. 2012 Jun;58(6):999-1009. doi: 10.1373/clinchem.2011.176396. Epub 2012 Mar 16.
PMID: 22427353BACKGROUNDInsenser M, Montes-Nieto R, Vilarrasa N, Lecube A, Simo R, Vendrell J, Escobar-Morreale HF. A nontargeted proteomic approach to the study of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue in human obesity. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2012 Nov 5;363(1-2):10-9. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2012.07.001. Epub 2012 Jul 14.
PMID: 22796336BACKGROUNDMurri M, Luque-Ramirez M, Insenser M, Ojeda-Ojeda M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Circulating markers of oxidative stress and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Update. 2013 May-Jun;19(3):268-88. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dms059. Epub 2013 Jan 9.
PMID: 23303572BACKGROUNDMartinez-Garcia MA, Montes-Nieto R, Fernandez-Duran E, Insenser M, Luque-Ramirez M, Escobar-Morreale HF. Evidence for masculinization of adipokine gene expression in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue of obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Feb;98(2):E388-96. doi: 10.1210/jc.2012-3414. Epub 2013 Jan 21.
PMID: 23337724BACKGROUND
Biospecimen
Serum Plasma Whole blood samples Subcutaneous adipose tissue by percutaneous biopsy Muscle tissue by percutaneous biopsy Feces Oral smear
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Héctor F Escobar-Morreale, PhD, MD
Diabetes, Obesity and Human Reproduction Research Group (CIBERDEM), Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Universitario RamĂ³n y Cajal, Universidad de AlcalĂ¡, Instituto RamĂ³n y Cajal de InvestigaciĂ³n Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Manuel Luque-RamĂrez, PhD, MD
Diabetes, Obesity and Human Reproduction Research Group (CIBERDEM), Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Universitario RamĂ³n y Cajal, Universidad de AlcalĂ¡, Instituto RamĂ³n y Cajal de InvestigaciĂ³n Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- observational
- Observational Model
- CASE CONTROL
- Time Perspective
- CROSS SECTIONAL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
February 8, 2019
First Posted
February 15, 2019
Study Start
January 31, 2020
Primary Completion
June 30, 2025
Study Completion
December 31, 2025
Last Updated
August 12, 2025
Record last verified: 2025-08
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
- Shared Documents
- STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, CSR, ANALYTIC CODE
- Time Frame
- Data will become available at the time of the first manuscript submission.
- Access Criteria
- Public access
The investigators will deposit any datasets and supplemental materials to a generalist repository. The investigators will refer to the deposited material as an item in the bibliography of any manuscript and number the reference appropriately within the text.