Lifestyle program improves fertility for women with obesity, infertility
Intervention offers cost-effective alternative to standard of care for women with obesity
2021-03-20
(Press-News.org) WASHINGTON--A lifestyle intervention targeting women with obesity and infertility is more effective in increasing the pregnancy rate compared with fertility treatments, according to a study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.
The lifestyle intervention, called the Fit-For-Fertility (FFF) program, is a cost-effective alternative to the usual standard of care for women with obesity seeking fertility treatments, according to lead researcher Matea Belan, Ph.D., of the University of Sherbrooke and the Research Center of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (RC-CHUS) in Quebec, Canada. "Our study shows that the FFF program can significantly improve the pregnancy rate, especially the spontaneous pregnancy rate when no fertility treatments are required, as well as the live-birth rate," she said.
Obesity is a known risk factor for infertility in women of childbearing age. Lifestyle changes and a moderate weight loss of 5%-10% of a woman's initial weight have been shown to improve the odds of a pregnancy in women with obesity and infertility, Belan noted.
"Lifestyle changes are recommended as the first-line treatment for these women," said study author Jean-Patrice Baillargeon, M.D., M.Sc., professor of the University of Sherbrooke and clinician investigator of the RC-CHUS. The new study tested Fit-For-Fertility, a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention that includes a nutritionist and a kinesiologist, or human movement specialist.
The researchers recruited 130 women receiving treatment at a fertility clinic, and randomly divided them into two groups. The first group had access to the Fit-For-Fertility program alone for the first six months of their participation, and in combination with fertility treatments if no pregnancy occurred after six months.
The program included individual sessions with a nutritionist and a kinesiologist every six weeks. Women in the FFF group were also asked to follow at least once each one of the 12 group sessions, which included a 45-minute workshop on topics regarding nutrition, lifestyle changes and lifestyle habits, followed by a 45-minute session of initiation to different types of physical activity, including walking, circuit training, step workout and others. In the second group, the control group, women had access to the fertility treatments from the outset but did not take part in the FFF program.
Data was collected for 18 months, or until the end of a pregnancy for women who became pregnant during those 18 months of participation.
Of the 108 women who completed at least six months of the study, or became pregnant during the first six months, the FFF program generated a difference of 14.2 percentage points in the live-birth rate (51% for the FFF group and 36.8% for the control group). The spontaneous pregnancy rate (pregnancy without any fertility treatments) was 33.3% in the treatment group, compared with 12.3% in the control group.
The researchers estimate the cost per additional newborn resulting from the FFF program at $12,633 (in 2019 Canadian dollars), somewhat similar to the willingness-to-pay for a newborn resulting from in vitro fertilization, which can cost up to $15,000.
"We hope this research will give women with obesity and infertility affordable access to a tailored lifestyle intervention adapted to their condition and their specific needs in order to improve their chances of having a pregnancy and building a family," Belan said.
INFORMATION:
Endocrinologists are at the core of solving the most pressing health problems of our time, from diabetes and obesity to infertility, bone health, and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions.
The Society has more than 18,000 members, including scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in 122 countries. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at http://www.endocrine.org. Follow us on Twitter at @TheEndoSociety and @EndoMedia.
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2021-03-20
WASHINGTON--Transgender youth have higher odds than cisgender youth of being diagnosed with medical conditions that can affect their overall metabolic and cardiovascular health, according to a study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.
The study included 4,174 youth with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, a term for a deep sense of unease and distress that may occur when a person's gender identity does not match their sex designated at birth. An estimated 1.8% of adolescents identify as transgender, according to lead researcher Anna Valentine, M.D., of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical ...
2021-03-20
WASHINGTON--Patients with low vitamin D levels who are hospitalized for COVID-19 may have a lower risk of dying or requiring mechanical ventilation if they receive vitamin D supplementation of at least 1,000 units weekly, according to a study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.
"Given how common vitamin D deficiency is in the world and the United States, we believe that this research is highly relevant right now," said co-author Sweta Chekuri, M.D., of Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York.
Research has shown that vitamin D supplementation can prevent inflammation in other respiratory diseases, but there have been limited studies examining the role of vitamin D supplementation in COVID-19. ...
2021-03-20
WASHINGTON--Black women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have higher risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and stroke compared with white women, according to a study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.
PCOS is a common disorder characterized by irregular menstrual periods, disruption of normal metabolism and excessive hair growth. PCOS affects up to 10% of all women of reproductive age. The disorder increases the risk for health conditions including infertility, obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and certain ...
2021-03-20
WASHINGTON--In adults with obesity or overweight, weekly treatment with the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) receptor agonist semaglutide leads to reduced excess body fat and increased lean body mass, according to an industry-sponsored study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.
"Our findings suggest that semaglutide, through body weight loss and improvement of body composition, has the potential to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke in people with overweight or obesity," said lead researcher John Wilding, D.M., F.R.C.P., of the University of Liverpool.
Obesity poses many health risks. Excess fat in the abdominal area, particularly ...
2021-03-20
WASHINGTON--Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have worse outcomes if they have high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, regardless of whether they have diabetes, a new study finds. The researchers will present their results, of the first known study of the impact of hyperglycemia on a largely Black patient population with the novel coronavirus, at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.
The investigators found that patients with COVID-19 who had hyperglycemia on admission to the hospital were more likely than those with normal glucose (sugar) to require a breathing machine or admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). These patients also were reportedly likelier to have kidney injury and to die ...
2021-03-20
WASHINGTON--More patients than previously reported may experience hearing symptoms such as hearing loss or muffled hearing from a new treatment for thyroid eye disease, teprotumumab (Tepezza), according to a small study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.
Teprotumumab, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2020, is the first and only drug to be approved for thyroid eye disease. In two clinical trials conducted prior to FDA approval of the drug, otologic symptoms were reported in 10 percent of patients. The new study found the rate could be as high as 65 percent.
The treatment is administered to patients once every three weeks for a total of eight infusions. It ...
2021-03-20
WASHINGTON--People with type 1 diabetes can improve their blood sugar control while reducing time with low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, using Insulet Corporation's Omnipod 5 Automated Insulin Delivery System compared to their standard insulin therapy. Results from an industry-sponsored study of the latest Omnipod, the first tubeless, wearable insulin pump, will be presented at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.
The Omnipod 5 System underwent three months of at-home testing in 128 adults and adolescents ages 14 to 70 years and 112 children ages 6 to less than 14 years. All study participants have type 1 diabetes and were first followed for two weeks using their standard therapy, either multiple daily insulin injections ...
2021-03-20
WASHINGTON--Higher levels of the stomach-derived hormone ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, predict a greater preference for smaller immediate monetary rewards over larger delayed financial rewards, a new study finds. The study results will be presented at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.
This research presents novel evidence in humans that ghrelin, the so-called "hunger hormone," affects monetary decision making, said co-investigator Franziska Plessow, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston. She said recent research findings in rodents suggested that ghrelin may play a part in impulsive choices and behaviors.
"Our results indicate that ghrelin might play a broader role than ...
2021-03-20
WASHINGTON--Nearly one in five U.S. children and teenagers has obesity, and statistics show a higher prevalence of obesity in certain ethnicities, such as Hispanics and Blacks. Now results of a study being presented at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, suggest that Spanish as a family's primary language is a predictor of childhood obesity, regardless of ethnicity.
The prevalence of obesity among children and teens from Spanish-speaking households in the nation was 24.4 percent, approximately 50 percent higher than those from English-speaking households, according to results of a new analysis of the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This survey examines a nationally representative sample ...
2021-03-20
Tokyo, Japan - Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have devised and implemented a simplified algorithm for turning freely drawn lines into holograms on a standard desktop CPU. They dramatically cut down the computational cost and power consumption of algorithms that require dedicated hardware. It is fast enough to convert writing into lines in real-time, and makes crisp, clear images that meet industry standards. Potential applications include hand-written remote instructions superimposed on landscapes and workbenches.
Flying cars, robots, spaceships...whatever sci-fi future you can imagine, there is always a common feature: holograms. ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Lifestyle program improves fertility for women with obesity, infertility
Intervention offers cost-effective alternative to standard of care for women with obesity
