*The following is an excerpt from my book PERFECT HORMONE BALANCE FOR FERTILITY[u1] . If you’re working to lose weight or wondering if/how this may improve your chance for conception then read on…
Fat cells are not passive calorie warehouses, but rather mini endocrine factories that produce at least 20 different hormones, collectively called adipokines. These hormones direct your metabolism and help your brain keep track of your energy stores to control appetite and budget how your body uses this energy. Adipokines also help your brain determine if you have enough fat stores to sustain pregnancy. Your brain also takes into account how effectively you can share your energy with your baby—if you’re insulin-resistant, your body doesn’t channel energy to the fetus as effectively. As you modify your diet, fat cells adjust their adipokine secretions to bring them more into balance, improving your fertility profile. Here are some of the key adipokines and how they affect your weight.
- Leptin tracks how many calories you have stored as fat—the more fat you have, the more leptin in your blood. When leptin levels are high, your brain suppresses your appetite and revs your metabolism to help you burn calories. But when leptin is chronically elevated, at it is in obesity, your brain tunes out the appetite-suppressing effect. Low leptin, on the other hand, signals low fat stores—a red flag that your brain should halt ovulation.
- Adiponectin helps your body use fat as fuel. As you gain weight, though, you produce less adiponectin, and low levels are associated with fertility problems. As you lose weight, fat cells release more adiponectin, increasing your chance of conception.
- Resistin is released by fat cells, resisting insulin’s ability to help store glucose. If you’re overweight, resistin rises, leading to insulin resistance and reduced fertility.
Enhancing Fertility 
Thank yyou for sharing this