Fluctuation of Serum Leptin Through Menstrual Cycle in Young Fertile Women in Mosul City

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 (535)kg and the mean height valueSD was(158 6.2) cm and the mean BMISD 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.