Metabolic Syndrome and Reproductive Health

**191**

**Chapter 13**

**Abstract**

generations.

**1. Introduction**

for Screening

Metabolic Syndrome in

*Shisana M. Baloyi and Kebogile Mokwena*

Reproductive Health: Urgent Call

Metabolic syndrome (MetSy) is a compilation of interrelated pathologic conditions

characterized by central obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance and atherogenic dyslipidaemia. The prevalence of MetSy is rising globally. There is growing evidence which linked the individual components of MetSy to the increasing prevalence of poor reproductive health in both the male and female community. This text reviews the recent evidence associating MetSy to poor reproductive health as well as the underlying pathophysiology. The aims to study the relationship between MetSy and reproductive health. The effects of MetSy on fertility were examined and supporting evidence explaining the pathophysiology of dysfunction with each MetSy component extracted from the following medical databases, including CINAHL, MED- LINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and ERIC were described. Noncommunicable disease is rising at an alarming rate globally. Metabolic disorders like hyperlipidaemia, obesity, and insulin resistance can directly or indirectly affect the reproductive health and fertility in both men and women through the interruption of hypothalamic – pituitary – gonadal axis functions. Metabolic syndrome's adverse effects are likely transgenerational (Barker hypothesis), where children born to obese mothers are at increased risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life. Therefore MetSy deserves attention and screening should be upscaled at all contacts for all age group of patients to save the future

**Keywords:** body mass index, diabetes, fertility, metabolic disorders, obesity,

disorders globally [1, 2]. Metabolic syndrome (MetSy) is a precursor to Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and is responsible for the high prevalence of chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions and cerebrovascular incidents. The burden of NCDs is rising globally and is becoming worse in developing countries, where more women than men are at risk. Women also bear the greatest morbidity and mortality in almost all countries [2]. By the year 2030, studies project that NCDs and related diseases will be the cause of more than 75% of deaths globally [3]. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are predicted to be the future major cause of deaths in low-income countries, more than all the infectious diseases,

Metabolic Syndrome (MetSy) is one of the fastest-growing non-communicable

male and female reproductive health, screening
