When it comes to fertility, your weight is important. Being overweight or having low body weight can make conception challenging. This is because excess or lack of fat might produce an imbalance in the reproductive hormones that allow you to conceive during any particular menstrual cycle.
More than 70% of women with weight-related infertility could become pregnant without using fertility medicine if they lost weight. You might be able to do this by just changing your diet and activity levels. However, you may require the assistance of a healthcare expert or a specialist to identify and address underlying health concerns that affect your weight.
Women's obesity and fertility
Being overweight can hurt a woman's fertility by causing:
- Menstrual diseases are caused by hormonal imbalances and problems with ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovaries).
- It can also complicate assisted reproductive procedures such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF), ovulation induction, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
- Obesity is also associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which is a common cause of infertility or poor fertility.
Fertility and being underweight
Being underweight (BMI less than 18.5) might diminish a woman's fertility by generating hormonal imbalances that impact ovulation and the likelihood of becoming pregnant. Underweight women are more likely to take more than a year to get pregnant than women who are in a healthy weight range. If you are underweight and attempting to conceive, a nutritionist can help you adjust your diet and gain weight.
Obesity and fertility in men
Being Overweight does not only link with women who are trying or going to conceive a baby but also with men who are equally affected with infertility and wrong body weight. The exact mechanism by which a man's weight impacts his fertility is still unknown, but fertility healthcare experts have some suggestions. Excess body fat can affect male fertility in a variety of ways, and in many cases, more than one can contribute to the problem at the same time:
Levels of testosterone
Fat cells play an important role in how the body manufactures and controls hormones, and when body fat becomes out of balance, hormones do as well. Overweight men have decreased testosterone levels and greater levels of the female hormone estrogen. This could affect how they generate sperm and sperm.
Temperature increase
The temperature has a strong influence on sperm production in the body. Increased testicular heat is linked to decreased sperm count and quality. Excess body fat insulation may boost the temperature in the scrotum, causing sperm destruction.
Sexual impotence
Obesity has been associated with an increase in the prevalence of erectile dysfunction in men. The causes are numerous, but it goes beyond issues of body image or energy: obesity-related high blood pressure can change how blood flows to the penis, making it difficult to obtain or maintain an erection.
Conclude the facts to remember
Infertility and obesity can be a difficult combo to deal with. Patients may experience feelings of humiliation, remorse, or inadequacy, making it difficult to undertake lifestyle adjustments while under the influence of such negative emotions. If you're worried that your weight is interfering with your fertility, it's critical to get help and to be kind to yourself.
References
- https://www.reproductivefacts.org/news-and-publications/patient-fact-sheets-and-booklets/documents/fact-sheets-and-info-booklets/weight-and-fertility/
- https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/weight-fertility-and-pregnancy-health
- https://uscfertility.org/causes-infertility/weight-and-infertility/
- https://www.womenshealth.gov/healthy-weight/weight-fertility-and-pregnancy