Pregnancy and childbirth can be a bit challenging for you if you or your partner is overweight or obese. But does it mean you can’t have a baby?
Absolutely not. Though pregnancy might be more difficult for you than others, you can certainly get pregnant with the help of fertility treatments.
In this article, we’ll look at the fertility treatments you can undergo to successfully get pregnant and have a baby. Read till the end to learn more.
Fertility Treatment For Overweight
Obesity is one of the major factors affecting the fertility of both men and women. In fact, your weight, whether you are underweight, overweight, or obese, can affect your fertility to some degree.
You need to be of optimum weight to be able to conceive and deliver a baby without any complications. You might still be able to get pregnant if you are only a bit overweight.
However, if you are too overweight and obese, you need to consult a fertility doctor to get pregnant. Sometimes, even with fertility treatments, obesity can hinder your chances of having a healthy pregnancy.
So, it is best to reduce your weight to an optimum level before starting your fertility treatments.
Fertility Treatment Options For Overweight
Below are some assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) that you can follow to get pregnant despite being overweight.
IUI (Intrauterine Insemination)
IUI is a simple but effective fertility treatment. Here, the sperm will be collected from the male partner and injected directly into the uterus. The sperm will swim to the fallopian tubes and fertilize the egg there.
This procedure is often followed when you don’t have serious fertility problems and only need help with ovulation or if the sperm is unable to reach the egg for some reason.
Choose the best IUI treatment to maximize the effectiveness of the procedure and enhance your chances of conception.
IVF (In vitro fertilization)
IVF is another fertility treatment that couples can undergo to overcome their fertility issues and become pregnant. It is the most preferred procedure as it has a higher success rate than other infertility procedures.
Here, fertilization does not happen inside the female body. Instead, the eggs and sperm are collected and fertilized in a laboratory under artificial conditions.
This ensures that the eggs and sperm are of the best quality, increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy.
ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection)
An ICSI is a type of IVF procedure. The only difference between ICSI and IVF is how the sperm fertilizes the egg. In IVF, the sperm fertilizes the egg by itself by swimming to the egg.
In ICSI, however, a healthy, high-quality sperm is selected and injected directly into the egg. This procedure is mostly followed in cases of male-factor infertility, where the sperm has issues fertilizing the egg by itself.
Does My Weight Affect My Fertility?
Yes, your weight does affect your fertility and chances of having a healthy and successful pregnancy. As discussed in the beginning, your weight, whether it is underweight, overweight, or obese, will affect your fertility.
This is mainly because your weight will affect your body’s hormone levels and affect ovulation cycles. In men, improper weight can affect sperm production.
According to studies, a woman of reproductive age has around a 27% higher chance of infertility if she is overweight and a 78% higher chance if she is obese.
Overweight also causes other issues, like
- PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome),
- Anovulatory disorders,
- Erection problems,
- Premature ejaculation, etc.
Pregnant women who are overweight are also at a higher risk of having the following health conditions:
- Gestational diabetes,
- High blood pressure,
- Pre-eclampsia,
- Miscarriage,
- C-section, etc.
Understanding BMI
BMI (Body Mass Index) is the measurement of a person’s weight in kilograms divided by their height in meters. This gives us an estimate of whether we are in the correct weight suitable for our height.
The BMI range for each weight category is as follows:
- BMI below 19 – underweight
- BMI between 19 and 25 – normal
- BMI between 25 and 29 – overweight
- BMI above 30 – obese
Your chances of pregnancy are higher when you are in the BMI 19–25 (normal) range. Being underweight, overweight, or obese can increase your chances of complications.
So, if you do not have a normal BMI, try increasing or decreasing your weight accordingly and then try for pregnancy. You can consult your fertility doctor or a fitness coach to manage your weight.
Lifestyle's Impact On Obesity
Believe it or not, our modern lifestyle is one of the major factors of obesity and infertility. Below are some of the most common unhealthy lifestyle habits that have an impact on obesity and infertility.
Eating unhealthy foods on a regular basis can have a serious impact on your weight.
Not doing regular physical exercises and leading a sedentary lifestyle can cause fat to deposit in your body and make you gain weight.
Staying awake late into the night can affect your body’s natural metabolism. You need at least 6 to 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.
Unhealthy habits like smoking and alcohol can affect your health and cause weight gain and other health issues.
Conclusion
All in all, your weight can have a serious impact on your fertility. So, even if you choose to undergo fertility treatments, you can only achieve the maximum success rate if you manage your weight and adopt healthy lifestyle changes.
Contact your fertility hospital if you have any doubts about what you should and shouldn’t do to increase your chances of a successful pregnancy.
It is a known fact that obesity and overweight are one of the major factors causing infertility. Whether it is a natural pregnancy or fertility treatment, both men and women should reach optimum weight for higher chances of success.
Being overweight or underweight can limit the effectiveness of fertility treatments and increase the chances of complications.
Most IVF doctors will recommend women reach an optimal BMI range of 19–30 before starting their fertility treatments. This is to balance their hormones and increase their pregnancy rate.
