Is your motivation to achieve your New Year’s resolutions already waning? Your resolutions might be easier to stick to if they’re fertility resolutions as well.
Weight and Fertility
Many lifestyle issues have an impact on fertility, and weight is no exception. Being overweight, obese, or underweight can have a negative impact on fertility. Compared to normal weight women, underweight, overweight, and obese women have a harder time getting pregnant and have a higher rate of miscarriage when pregnancy does occur. These findings about weight and fertility hold true even when using in vitro fertilization (IVF), the most high tech assisted reproductive treatment (ART).
What is a woman’s optimal weight for fertility?
We measure weight for height by checking body mass index (BMI). The optimal BMI range for health and fertility is 18.5-24.9 kg/m2. If your weight for height (BMI) is outside this range, your chances of pregnancy are lower. Because high BMI is a more common problem than low BMI, this article will focus on weight loss.
Even Small Weight Loss Can Have Big Gain
If you find your BMI is elevated, you are not alone. Two out of three women have a BMI of 25 or higher. Weight loss is difficult but your hard work will be worth it—both for health and fertility. The good news is that you do not need to decrease your BMI to an ideal range to see improved chances for pregnancy. Weight loss of even 5 to 10 percent of body weight will increase fertility.
Find a Long-Term Weight Control Strategy
But what is the best way to lose weight? It is no secret that there are a lot of diets out there. The best diet for you is one you can stick with but figuring out which one that is could take a lot of time and research. An article in the US News and World Report might help—the article ranks 38 popular diets based on short-term weight loss, long-term weight loss, ease of the diet, and the health of the diet. This article is a good starting point to consider what might work for you. It’s a good idea to discuss your plan with your doctor to make sure the diet you are considering will not have a negative impact on your personal treatment plan.
Whatever plan you choose, you should aim for long-term lifestyle changes so that you can maintain your weight loss. Plan to set yourself up for success by getting support from professionals (your health care team and, ideally, a nutritionist), a weight loss/lifestyle support group, and friends and family. Strategies for long-term weight loss include eating regular meals, frequent weight monitoring, and regular exercise.
Medical contribution by Lauren Roth, M.D.
Lauren Roth, M.D., is the Medical Director of SGF, and board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive endocrinology and infertility. She has published research on a range of fertility topics including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and the impact of weight on reproductive hormones. Dr. Roth sees patients in SGF’s Rockville, Maryland office.
For more information about weight and fertility, or to schedule an appointment with one of our reproductive endocrinologists, please contact our New Patient Center at 888-971-7755.
