Plasma Oxytocin Concentration in Pre- and Postmenopausal Women: Its Relationship with Obesity, Body Composition and Metabolic Variables

Objective: To investigate the relationship between oxytocin, menopause and obesity. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis on 56 obese (OB; 28 premenopausal) and 53 normal-weight women (NW; 27 premenopausal) was performed by measurement of oxytocin, leptin, adiponectin, gonadotropins, sex steroids, glucose, and lipid homeostasis as well as DXA assessment of fat mass (%FM) and fat-free mass (FFM). Results: Women from NW and OB groups were comparable for age but differed in anthropometric measures. In our cohorts, menopause was not associated with changes in gluco-lipid homeostasis and %FM, while FFM was lower in postmenopausal women from both study groups (p Conclusions: Obesity and menopause are independent negative predictors of plasma oxytocin. Longitudinal studies should clarify the role of oxytocin on weight modifications experienced around and after menopause.