Lipid Metabolism in Female Reproductive Health

Lipid metabolism underpins multiple stages of female reproduction, from oocyte maturation and steroidogenesis to implantation and placental development. Within ovarian follicles, lipids supply ATP for meiotic resumption and act as precursors for oestrogens and progesterone. Circulating lipoproteins, particularly high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL), deliver cholesterol to granulosa, theca and cumulus cells, supporting follicular growth and luteal function. Folliculogenesis is orchestrated by dynamic gene expression programmes that regulate lipid uptake, synthesis and efflux, ensuring a fine balance between energy provision and prevention of lipotoxic damage. Dyslipidaemia, characterised by elevated LDL-cholesterol or imbalanced fatty acid ratios, can impair oocyte quality, increase rates of embryonic aneuploidy and reduce implantation success. Conversely, optimal lipid homeostasis is associated with improved fertilisation rates, embryo viability and pregnancy outcomes. Globally, the modulation of dietary fats, pharmacological control of cholesterol and targeted lipid-based diagnostics offer practical avenues to enhance fertility treatments and mitigate reproductive disorders linked to metabolic dysfunction.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A prospective cohort study in women undergoing natural-cycle frozen embryo transfer found that a higher peri-conceptional erythrocyte saturated-to-unsaturated fatty acid ratio was positively associated with ongoing pregnancy. This work suggests that maternal red-cell fatty acid composition may serve as a predictive biomarker of implantation success, reflecting a nutritional milieu conducive to embryo viability in assisted reproduction settings.

Lipid Metabolism in Female Reproductive Health publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in lipid metabolism in female reproductive health across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Lipoprotein: A complex of lipids and proteins that transports cholesterol and triglycerides in blood plasma.

Folliculogenesis: The maturation process of ovarian follicles leading to ovulation.

Aneuploidy: A chromosomal abnormality in embryos characterised by an incorrect number of chromosomes.

Mendelian randomisation: A genetic epidemiology method using inherited variants to infer causal effects of modifiable exposures on health outcomes.

Saturated-to-unsaturated fatty acid ratio: The proportion of fully hydrogenated fatty acids relative to those containing double bonds within cell membranes.

References

1. The Association between Circulating Lipids and Female Infertility Risk: A Univariable and Multivariable Mendelian Randomization Analysis. Nutrients (2023).
2. Maternal hypercholesterolemia would increase the incidence of embryo aneuploidy in couples with recurrent implantation failure. European Journal of Medical Research (2023).
3. Lipid Metabolic Process Involved in Oocyte Maturation During Folliculogenesis. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (2022).
4. Implications of High-Density Cholesterol Metabolism for Oocyte Biology and Female Fertility. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (2022).
5. Pre-conception maternal erythrocyte saturated to unsaturated fatty acid ratio predicts pregnancy after natural cycle frozen embryo transfer. Scientific Reports (2018).