Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Colorado Denver
12631 East 17th Avenue, Mail Stop B-198
Academic Office 1, Room 4515
Aurora, CO 80045
Phone: 303.724.2001
Fax: 303.724.2053
Email: apolotsky@yahoo.com
|
 |
Dr. Alex J. Polotsky earned his medical degree from theAlbert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed his obstetrics and gynecology residency training at NewYork Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell Medical Center, followed by a reproductiveendocrinology fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Polotsky earned a Master of Sciencedegree in clinical research methods from the Clinical Research Program atAlbert Einstein. He is the past recipient of NICHD sponsored T-32 training grantawarded by the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility andUniversity of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Polotsky is currently an Assistant Professor ofObstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.
Dr. Polotsky’s major research focus is the impact of obesityon fertility and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis using epidemiologic and translational methodology. On apopulation level, we have recently shown a significant association betweenadolescent obesity and lifetime nulliparity in participants of the Study ofWomen’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). From a pathophysiological standpoint, studies of morbidly obese women undergoingbariatric surgery revealed severely diminished central reproductive drive. A potential mechanism for thisderailment is the markedly attenuated Inhibin B restraint of FSH secretion,observed despite low FSH levels. The failure to mount an FSH increment in theface of this loss of inhibition suggests that there is a deficit in FSHresponsiveness in obese women that is incongruous with the follicularstate. We are now pursuing studiesin which the normal hormonal feedback from the ovary will be blocked in orderto examine how it affects the output from the hypothalamus and thepituitary. Additionally, incollaboration with the Wake Forest Primate Center in Winston-Salem, NC we willstudy obesity-related corpus luteum insufficiency in a primate model.
Relevant Publications
- Jain A, Polotsky AJ, Rochester D, et al. Pulsatile LHAmplitude and Progesterone Metabolite Excretion are Reduced in Obese Women. JClin Endocrinol Metab. 2007; 92:2468-73.
- Rochester D, Jain AJ, Polotsky AJ et al. Partial recovery of luteal functionafter bariatric surgery in obese women. Fertil Steril. 2008;Sep 29. [Epub aheadof print].
- Polotsky AJ, Hailpern S, Skurnick J, et al. Association ofadolescent obesity and lifetime nulliparity-SWAN, the study of women’s healthacross the nation. Fertil Steril. 2009; Jan 29 [Epub ahead of print].
Pubmed Search