الملخص

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.