Fertility and Your Weight
It’s not new news. The research that has connected obesity with infertility is solid, and it’s been coming out for years. We know this. We know that obese women have an exponentially difficult time becoming pregnant when compared to women who are at a healthy weight.
This is, in most cases, because being obese can lead to anovulation. This basically means that you don’t ovulate. Your body doesn’t release an egg, and it therefore can’t be fertilized. Incidentally, being too thin can also lead to anovulation, but that’s obviously a much less common problem in our culture.
One recent study suggest, however, that even women who ovulate regularly who are overweight or obese may also have problems trying to conceive. In other words, a woman with a regular cycle and no other obvious reasons to have fertility issues, may still have a difficult time becoming pregnant if they’re obese or overweight. Weight has a direct bearing on fertility, beyond just whether or not you ovulate.
If you’re concerned that your weight may be causing fertility issues, you might be tempted to try a fad diet or exercise five hours a day every day until you drop the weight. However, this isn’t necessarily a good thing, either.
Slow, steady weight loss is the most healthy kind of weight loss. The same holds true when you’re trying to lose weight to get pregnant as it does if you’re trying to lose weight to fit into your little black dress for your high school reunion. Taking it one day at a time is key.
You also need to make sure you’re being smart about your diet. Your body needs certain nutrients, especially if you’re going to try to get pregnant. A balanced diet that has plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, fiber and a relatively low amount of saturated fats is important not only for weight loss but for conceiving, as well.
Finally, while too much exercise can indeed interfere with your ability to become pregnant, as long as you keep it to less than an hour of aerobic exercise a day you don’t have anything to worry about.
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