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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Oct 1.
Published in final edited form as: Nutr Rev. 2013 Oct;71(0 1):10.1111/nure.12056. doi: 10.1111/nure.12056

Table 1.

Reproductive targets of obesity

Reproductive
target		 Proposed mechanisms Outcome Supporting studies and
source of specimens
Hypothalamus Neuropeptide Y upregulation, GnRH suppression Abnormal GnRH pulsatility with subsequent oligo/anovulation Tortoriello et al (murine)2, Jain et al (human)24
The ovary and ovarian follicle Increased ovarian rigidity, granulosa cell apoptosis Abnormal oocyte recruitment, abnormal ovulation, poor oocyte quality Hirshfield-Cytron et al (murine)25, Woodruff et al (murine)26; Jungheim et al (murine)21
Oocyte Abnormal ovarian follicular environment, lipotoxic fat accumulation within the oocyte Poor oocyte quality Robker et al (human)16, Yang et al (murine)17
Pre-implantation embryo Insulin resistance, increased apoptosis Poor embryo quality Jungheim et al (murine)21
Uterine endometrium Altered endometrial genetic profile, suboptimal decidualization Decreased uterine receptivity Bellver et al (human)15