Findings independent of body mass index <\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Waist circumference (WC) is a positive predictor of female infertility, independent of body mass index (BMI), according to a study published online Dec. 20 in\u00a0PLOS ONE<\/em>.<\/p>\n Jierong Ke, from Huizhou Central People’s Hospital in China, and colleagues examined the relationship between WC and infertility among women of child-bearing age. The analysis included 3,239 female participants (aged 18 to 45 years) participating in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.<\/p>\n The researchers found that WC was positively associated with female infertility independent of BMI in an adjusted analysis. For every 1 cm increase in waist circumference, the risk for infertility increased by 3 percent. Women in the highest quintile of WC had more than a doubled risk for infertility versus the lowest quintile (odds ratio, 2.64). There was a nonlinear but positively dose-dependent relationship between WC and female infertility. In participants who had moderate recreational activities, there was an inverted U-shaped relationship (turning point: 113.5 cm) between WC and female infertility. In participants who had deficient recreational activities, there was a J-shaped relationship (turning point: 103 cm) between WC and female infertility.<\/p>\n “Moderate recreational activities can lower the risk of female infertility associated with abdominal obesity,” the authors write.<\/p>\n