Source
Program in Reproductive and Adult Endocrinology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA. maguiremf@mail.nih.gov
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Congenital generalized lipodystrophy is a rare disorder characterized by scant adipose tissue, profound leptin deficiency, and severe insulin resistance, resulting in multiple metabolic derangements, including hyperandrogenism, anovulation, and impaired fecundity.
CASE:
A young woman with congenital generalized lipodystrophy receiving leptin therapy experienced menarche, conceived spontaneously, and delivered a liveborn male neonate.
CONCLUSION:
Adipose tissue is important to normal female reproductive function. Leptin in particular appears to play a key role in adipose-mediated regulation of fertility.