association between bmi and leptin levels in women with primary infertility: a cross-sectional study

Background & objective: primary infertility affects a significant proportion of couples and is often attributed to female factors. obesity, which is associated with increased levels of the hormone leptin, is a known risk factor for female infertility. the present study was conducted with aim to investigate the association between bmi and leptin levels in females with primary infertility. materials & methods: this cross-sectional study was performed on 100 women with primary infertility at al-nuaman hospital and al-salama private hospital from september 2022 to march 2023. the participants were divided into four groups: group 1 (normal weight, fertile), group 2 (overweight infertile), group 3 (obese infertile), and group 4 (severely obese infertile) women, each consisting of 25 participants, categorized based on their bmi: normal bmi (18.5–24.9 kg/m²), overweight bmi (25–29.9 kg/m²), obesity bmi (≥30 kg/m²), and severely obese bmi (35-40 kg/m²). the mean leptin levels were compared between the four groups using anova, and the association between bmi and leptin levels was assessed using pearson's correlation coefficient. results: there was a highly significant correlation between primary infertility and the parameters (bmi and leptin) (p<0.001) and showed a positive correlation between leptin and bmi. conclusion: it was shown that females with primary infertile and a high bmi have elevated serum leptin levels. this underscores the importance of weight management in addressing primary female infertility.