IVF News - Soaring obesity levels may trigger infertility crisis

IVF News - Soaring obesity levels may trigger infertility crisis: "Soaring obesity levels may trigger infertility crisis Katy Sinclair Progress Educational Trust 29 August 2007 Discuss this article Read comments Add to favorites [BioNews, London] A Lancet report has warned that the soaring levels of obesity in the western world will lead to a major infertility crisis in women. Commenting on the findings, Bill Ledger, Professor of Obstetrics at the University of Sheffield, warned that in the next decade the number of women seeking infertility treatment could double, to one in five. Mr Ledger said that this problem could be helped if women lost weight before seeking infertility treatment. The study focused on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects one in 15 women worldwide. One of the symptoms of PCOS is infertility, and the syndrome is exacerbated by obesity. The lead author of the study, Robert Norman from the University of Adelaide, stated 'it's argued that obesity will cause a crisis in infertility and I agree'. Meanwhile, PhD student Cadence Minge, from the Adelaide University Research Centre for Reproductive Health, has scientifically linked obesity with infertility for the first time, by showing that eggs from obese mice do not develop into healthy embryos. Ms Minge's study centred on female mice that were fed a high-fat diet, making them insulin-resistant "