Premium
Insulin Resistance, Thyroid‐Related Hormones, and Duration of Postpartum Amenorrhea in Lactating Women
Author(s) -
McGuire Michelle,
Williams Janet,
McGuire Mark
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.583.3
Subject(s) - ovulation , medicine , endocrinology , hormone , thyroid function , triiodothyronine , insulin resistance , amenorrhea , insulin , postpartum period , thyroid , pregnancy , biology , genetics
Although the mechanisms regulating fertility during the postpartum period are not well understood, maternal nutritional status and suckling behaviors have been shown to be related to duration of postpartum amenorrhea (PPA). Some data also suggest that insulin resistance may play a role. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that women who experience relatively shorter periods of PPA are more resistant to insulin compared to those who have longer periods of PPA. We also wished to explore the possibility that thyroid function might be related to duration of PPA. To test these hypotheses, we documented baseline serum insulin, glucose, insulin‐like glucose factor‐I (IGF‐I), triiodothyronine (T 3 ), thyroxine (T 4 ), and thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH) as well as their response to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in healthy, lactating women (n = 17). OGTT were administered at 12, 16, 20, and 24 wk postpartum, and women were divided into earlier and later ovulation groups: ovulation 蠄 25 wk (EO, n = 10) and ovulation > 25 wk (LO, n = 7). There was no interaction between ovulation group and time postpartum on any variable measured. However, there was a main effect (P < 0.05) of ovulation group on serum insulin concentrations before and after OGTT, such that EO women had higher levels than did LO women. There was also an effect (P < 0.05) of ovulation group on change in serum T 3 due to OGTT, such that the EO group experienced less of a change than did the LO group. In summary, although reproductive capacity in the postpartum period may be affected by insulin and T 3 concentrations, insulin resistance does not appear to play a role.