Weight Management Merits Attention in women with infertility: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Association of Anthropometric Indices with Hormonal Imbalance in a Ghanaian Population

Abstract Objective: This study determined the association of anthropometric indices with hormonal imbalance among infertile women in a Ghanaian population. Results: Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels (18.47 vs 8.67, p-value =0.002), and luteinizing hormone (LH) (12.43 vs 8.01, p-value =0.044) were higher in women with primary infertility compared with women presenting with secondary infertility. Waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) showed significant negative partial correlation with prolactin in both primary and secondary infertile women. Also a significant negative partial correlation was observed between BMI and prolactin in secondary infertile women only. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) showed a positive association with LH in both primary and secondary infertility. WHR also showed significant positive correlation to LH/FSH ratio in secondary infertility whereas body adiposity index (BAI) showed a negative correlation to LH/FSH ratio. In a correlation analysis of anthropometric measures with hormonal profile and causes of infertility as a fixed factor, the association between anthropometric indices and fertility hormones was largely dependent on the underlying causes of infertility.