Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Effects of weight loss on fertility?

Before infertility, my one constant struggle in life has been with my weight. I have been overweight to some degree or another since I was a teenager. (Heck, maybe even before that: I weighed 8 lbs, 8 oz. at birth!) Currently my BMI is around 36. Bad, I know.

I've read a lot about how obesity can adversely affect fertility, but everything I read seems to be in the context of women who have PCOS and/or anovulatory cycles. Although I have only conceived once in 18 months (and then had a VERY early miscarriage), I have regular cycles, and my RE believes, based on cycle length and testing, that I do ovulate every cycle. Because of this, I've been thinking that my fertility is not affected by my weight.

I know that I should lose weight for my own health and for the sake of having a healthier pregnancy (should I ever be lucky enough to get/stay pregnant). But I've been wondering lately whether losing weight might make me more likely to conceive? (Side note: I accidentally typed "lucky" for "likely" the first time. Freudian slip?)

(One of the pitfalls of being "unexplained" is that you spend your time thinking about everything and anything that might possibly affect your fertility for good or ill. Not that it's worse than having a specific, diagnosed problem; it's just different. It's the reason I've tried acupuncture, meditation, cutting out simple carbs, and a variety of herbal supplements, too.)

If anyone has any thoughts on this issue, I'd love to hear them! Email me or leave a comment on this post. Thanks.

9 comments:

  1. No thoughts or comments, but I understand what you're saying about being "unexplained." A diagnosis would be so much easier to deal with, I think, than the uncertainty and questioning. (Although I'm sure those who have been diagnosed would say otherwise!)

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  2. I'm also overweight, and I wonder about this all the time. Because I don't think they've proven that being overweight actually makes it harder for you to get pregnant. But they have proven that being overweight impacts the healthy function of basically every part of your body, so I can't imagine that it WOULDN'T make it harder to get pregnant. Weight/thyroid/hormones/reproduction... it all seems inextricably linked in my mind.

    I have no proof for thinking that, I just think that it makes sense.

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  3. I do debate whether or not weight does somehow affect fertility. My weight has fluctuated a lot since I've been married, and I am definatly not a skinny girl. My BMI has gone from 28-41 and I have had trouble conceiving the entire time. My clinic, however, is very strict and my BMI had to be below 35 to do IVF (it is 30 on the nose). They strongly believe that there is a greater chance of success with a lower BMI and obviously a healthier pregnancy. I am also unexplained - so I really have no idea. Obviously being as healthy as possible is the most important thing, and just because you carry around a few extra pounds doesn't mean you are not healthy.

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  4. I have googled obesity and fertility (thanks Dr. Google!) and found an article on about.com, I believe, that said that some obese women that ovulate regularly still have trouble conceiving for unknown reasons. I believe it said that fertility is impaired between 29-34 bmi. With a bmi higher than that, I really panicked. I've lost 20 pounds since 7/29 hoping that it will help us To conceive and/or prepare me for a healthier pregnancy. It seems a little easier to stay focused now that I have a better reason than "for my health", sad as that is. I've gone from almost a 40 bmi to 37.6, I think. Still a long way to go, but I'm happy to be on the right track with eating and exercise for the first time in years.

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  5. Interestingly, I am not overweight, but my RE made me gain weight saying that in her experience women with more weight on them had an easier time getting pregnant. Now, I don't know about any specifics between "more weight" and overweight, but I just thought I would share.

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  6. no comment on the topic, but agree with bluebird, I think undiagnosed is the hardest pill to swallow, seems like having some idea of what path to take is much easier than maybe it's this or that.

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  7. I have secondary IF and have been ttc actively for 15 months now. My RE said I have mild PCOS so I didn't pay too much attention to all the symptons although weight has been at the back of my mind. I knew that I was overweight. I am 30lbs heavier now than when I just found out I was pregnant with DD. Recently my RE had me do a 2hr tolerance test to see if I was insulin resistant. It came back positive and I am a borderline pre-diabetic. I am currently taking 1000mg of Metformin (and slowly increasing to 1500mg). This is supposed to help keep my weight stable and easier to lose weight since PCOS makes it difficult. I heard losing weight jumpstarts fertility and the Met is supposed to help keep my insulin level at a normal range which can also be the reason I'm having difficulty conceiving this time around. DD was an unexpected surprise so I didn't realize ttc would be this difficult. I would recommend asking RE for a tolerance test. It took about 10 months before RE decided that could be a factor. HTH and GL =).

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  8. whatajourneyithasbeen, thanks for your comment. Because of my weight and family history--adult onset diabetes on both sides--I have already been tested for diabetes: negative.

    My sister took Metformin for a while for PCOS, and it did help her lose weight. She also eventually conceived without intervention after taking it for a few months. I hope it works for you.

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  9. I've always been under the impression that being overweight affects your fertility, but this is my "impression" not based upon anything specific - just what I've absorbed over the years. I'd be curious about what you find out - if there are specific effects even though you are cycling normally, etc.

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