SFEBES2026 Oral Poster Presentations Reproductive Endocrinology (4 abstracts)
Adaptive metabolic plasticity defends body reserves during reproduction
Qian Wei 1 , Tanvi Joshi 1 , Alexandra Milona 2 , Zijing Zhou 1 , Alessandro Sardini 3 , Irene Miguel-Aliaga 2 , Kevin Murphy 1 , David Carling 3 , Waljit Dhillo 1 & Bryn Owen 1
1Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; 2The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom; 3MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, United Kingdom
Background: Reproduction is among the most energetically demanding stages in mammals, yet how energy balance is maintained during pregnancy and lactation remains unclear. Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea in women highlights the sensitivity of fertility to energy availability, but the metabolic strategies that buffer reproduction under energetic stress are poorly defined.
Methods: We quantified reproductive energy cost by treating the mother and offspring as a single metabolic unit. Female C57BL/6J mice were monitored in metabolic cages (CLAMS) from mating to postnatal day 18 at room temperature or thermoneutrality. Feeding behaviour was assessed using BioDAQ, fat distribution by micro-CT, and pair-feeding compared ad libitum and intake-restricted pregnant mice to test whether additional calories were required for gestation.
Results: Pregnancy modestly increased total energy expenditure (EE) by ~12% (P = 0.03) but reduced EE per gram of fat-free mass, indicating metabolic downregulation in late gestation. BioDAQ analysis showed food intake rose only slightly during pregnancy, whereas lactation induced marked hyperphagia consistent with a 2.2-fold greater energetic demand (P < 0.0001). Micro-CT revealed preferential lipid accumulation in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) during pregnancy, while subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) changed little. During lactation, VAT expanded further (2-fold vs GesD1, P = 0.01) as SAT declined (−43%, P = 0.37), reflecting lipid redistribution and mobilisation for milk synthesis. Under thermoneutrality, basal metabolism declined in both stages, but only lactation efficiency—the conversion of maternal energy into pup biomass—was impaired. Pair-fed pregnant mice still accumulated fat (+36%, P = 0.03) and produced normal litters (P = 0.46), showing that pregnancy proceeds through metabolic reallocation rather than overfeeding.
Conclusions: Pregnancy conserves energy, while lactation mobilises these reserves to raise offspring. Even under caloric restriction, females reproduced normally, demonstrating a remarkable metabolic flexibility that safeguards maternal reserves and reproductive success, and may provide insight into functional hypothalamic amenorrhea.
Volume 117
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Endocrine Abstracts
ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)
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