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. 2025 Jul 2;15(1):22713.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-08595-x.

Association of relative fat mass with female infertility: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES 2017-2020

Qian Tang  1   2 , Qiang Zhang  2 , Rui Xia  2 , Xitong Li  1 , Jing Du  1   2 , Yaoping Cheng  1 , Ling Wang  3
Affiliations

Association of relative fat mass with female infertility: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES 2017-2020

Qian Tang et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Relative Fat Mass (RFM) is an emerging body fat measurement index that more accurately reflects the distribution of visceral fat. This study aimed to investigate the association between RFM and female infertility. We utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning from 2017 to 2020, enrolling 1487 female participants aged 20-44. The relationship between RFM and infertility was analyzed using multivariate Logistic regression, and the dose-response relationship was assessed with Restricted Cubic Splines (RCS). The study found a significant association between RFM and infertility. After adjusting for confounders such as age, ethnicity, and BMI, each unit increase in RFM was associated with a 6% increase in the risk of infertility (OR = 1.06, 95%CI = 1.01-1.12, P = 0.019), with stable results across different subgroups. RFM is significantly associated with female infertility and may serve as a useful tool in infertility screening. Future studies should further validate its potential for clinical application.

Keywords: Body fat; Infertility; NHANES; Relative fat mass; Reproductive health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of study.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis for the association between the RFM and Infertility. Red lines represent odds ratios, and pink areas represent 95% confidence intervals. The model was adjusted for age, race, education level, marital status, family income, body mass index, drink status, smoking status, trouble sleeping, menstrual cycle regularity and ever treated for a pelvic infection/PID.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Subgroup analysis for RFM and Infertility.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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