Abstract
Background: Leptin is a hormone secreted by adipocytes , it is aprotein encoded by the ob gene. Mutations in the ob gene in animals cause obesity , leptin affects nutritional homeostasis and reproductive function. Objectives : a followup study was done to investigate serum leptin levels in 30 fertile healthy normal weight women with regular menstrual cycle aged (8-45) years in folicular and luteal phase of menstrual cycle. Methods: Fasting blood samples were obtained from normal weight fertile women(BMI 19.5-24.9 Kg/m2) to measurement serum concentrations of leptin, which measured by using( ELISA) in follicular phase (2nd day of menstriual cycle ) then ask the women to come back and give another blood sample in 21st- 23nd day of the cycle to measure serum progesterone and leptin in luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Results: The mean age ± SD of the normal fertile women was (29.1± 8.4) years, the mean weight value ±SD was (53±5)kg and the mean height value±SD was(158 ± 6.2) cm and the mean BMI±SD was (21.2± 1.3). Leptin was higher in luteal phase than follicular phase in normal weight fertile women ,this was statistically significant (p≤ 0.000), the mean ± SD of progesterone hormone was (7.8 ± 3.2 ) in day 21-23 of the cycle this was the indicator for ovulation and starting of luteal phase. Conclusion: A great variation in serum leptin levels throughout the menstrual cycles with lower levels in the follicular rather than luteal phase in normal weight fertile women is found.
