Does Pregnancy Success Go Down If I Am Overweight?
Generally, women who are trying to become pregnant should strive to improve their overall health and well-being, and one of the best ways to do that is to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
This might mean exercising more and eating a healthier, balanced diet.
Dropping excess pounds to achieve a healthier body mass index may improve your chances of getting pregnant, and being healthier while pregnant is also encouraged.
Still, being overweight does not necessarily mean that you have a lower chance of getting pregnant than women who are of a healthy weight.
But women who are overweight may have hormonal imbalances that affect their menstrual cycle and ovulation, which can drop your chances of success.
If you have a normal menstrual cycle and ovulation is not a problem, then your chances of success should not be much affected by being overweight.
Of course, women of a healthy weight may experience hormonal imbalances as well.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS for short, is a condition that affects many women and is one of the leading causes of infertility.
This condition may affect ovulation, which can harm pregnancy chances.
Being overweight is one of the potential signs of PCOS, and the two conditions may be related.
What's more, women with the condition may produce high levels of insulin, which may lead to the release of more male hormone, called androgen, which can affect ovulation.
Even women who attempt to get pregnant through fertility procedures may be at a lower chance of success if they are overweight.
So if you believe that you could drop a few pounds, see your doctor to discuss the matter further.
It is important that you approach your weight loss in a healthy way.
Do not take weight loss medications without consulting your doctor, and try to avoid fad diets that may actually be detrimental to your overall health and well-being-not to mention your fertility.
Some fertility clinics offer nutritional counseling to help you develop healthy eating habits, while many doctors may recommend certain exercises that can help you lose weight in a healthy manner.
You don't have to slim down to nothing, of course, but achieving a healthy body mass index can be a good step towards improving your fertility as well as your overall health and well-being.