Why Overweight Women Find it Harder to Get Pregnant

If you are overweight and have difficulty conceiving a child, chances are your gynaecologist may have told you to shed off some pounds. Infertility can be caused by different factors, but doctors usually advise overweight women to lose weight so they can increase their chances for getting pregnant.

Obesity and being overweight has become a major concern in our generation. A lot more women are finding it difficult to get pregnant, and close to 10 percent of American couples face the challenge of infertility. Medical experts have pointed to a common culprit - obesity.

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In 2005, a third of all American women of childbearing age were already considered medically obese. This means that 33 percent of all American adult females have a body mass index or BMI of 30 or more. Body mass index indicates the amount of the body fat in an individual. Medical experts classify the degree of obesity through one's BMI, and the ideal body mass index for a healthy adult female is 25 or a little less.

So what is the direct correlation between obesity and infertility? Obesity actually causes an increase in the production of estrogen among women of reproductive age and such condition gives rise to hormonal imbalance which directly affects ovulation. Any disorder or disruption of the ovulation process is a leading cause of female infertility. Some of these disorders include hormonal disruption, irregular or intermittently absent menstrual cycles and difficulty in the fertilization process. Weight issues, primarily obesity or being overweight, comprise around 15 percent of the cause for these disorders. Being overweight also decreases a woman's receptivity to fertility treatments since excess body fat can block the absorption of medication administered to address infertility.

And the problem does not limit itself to infertility. An overweight woman is more prone to pregnancy complications such as larger babies, an increased chance for a Caesarean delivery, toxaemia, elevated blood pressures during the pregnancy, and even gestational diabetes. Overweight women are also more prone to miscarriage or aborted pregnancies.

So for mother's health during the pregnancy, as well as for the baby's safety, it is advisable for overweight or obese women to lose some weight first prior to conception.

Why Overweight Women Find it Harder to Get Pregnant

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