©Pregnancy bliss 2008

Obesity and Fertility

There is an obesity epidemic. That is no longer in dispute. For the first time in the history of humankind, there is more overweight than undernourished people on earth. It is testimony, if one was required, in mankind’s pathetic record on getting things right.

 

In the USA, in 2006 only two states had a prevalence of obesity of less than 20%. In 22 states the prevalence was equal to or above 25% and as for Mississippi and West Virginia, the prevalence was more than 30%. If you break down the figures, the problem for adults is actually much worse with the overall obesity prevalence at 32.2%. If you include those who are merely classified as overweight, the figure shoots up to 66%. That is two third of all American adults. Yes. It is that serious.

 

America might be top-heavy but other countries aren’t faring that much better either. In the last 25 years in the UK, rates of obesity have quadrupled, now standing at almost 23%. Alarmingly, up to 10% of six year olds are already obese, the rate rising inexorably reaching 17% (over 1 in 6) at age 15. A true time bomb. Today, 30,000 deaths annually are due to conditions caused by obesity.

 

Effect of obesity on Fertility

Taken as a general group, obese women do have more fertility problems than their counterparts of normal body weight. However, obese women are not a homogeneous group.

 

Polycystic Ovaries and fertility

There are obese women who have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome as the underlying primary condition. Weight, in this case, is part of the syndrome. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is also characterized by erratic ovulation therefore reducing the possibility of conception. There is also increased risk of miscarriage. What is significant, however, even in this sub-group, is the fact that, reducing weight actually dramatically improves ovulation rates which in turn improves the chances of successful conception.

 

General Obesity

Leaving Polycystic Ovaries aside, the majority of overweight or obese individuals will be so because of an imbalance between calorie intake and expenditure. When more calories are taken in via food and drink and less expended via general or specific physical activity, weight gain will result.

 

It is a known fact that women who are significantly overweight or obese have more difficulty conceiving naturally. Even the success rate in assisted conception is significantly lower compared to their counterparts who have weight within the ‘normal’ ideal range. Now, it is possible for anybody to scoff at the statistics by pointing out a number of obese people they know who have a sizable brood seemingly attained without difficulty. That may be so but it is important to remember that conceiving is not a team sport and every one is an individual. In the UK, women with a BMI of more than 36 would not normally be offered IVF treatment on the National Health Service, specifically because of safety concerns and efforts are concentrating on helping the woman lose weight first.

 

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Obesity is not simply an image issue. It is a serious general health problem and fertility could be adversely affected too.