Obesity and fertility - what's the link?

It is well known that obese people face a lot of health problems. They are more prone to heart diseases, high blood pressure and fluctuating glucose levels in their body. But what is often forgotten, is that obese women also face fertility problems. Those could be so severe that they can lead to long-term infertility; which is the inability to reproduce even with assisted reproductive technologies.

1. Obesity affects fertilisation

It is very difficult for a woman who is obese to get pregnant: the fat accumulated around the abdominal area of the body make it difficult for proper fertilisation of the egg by a healthy sperm.

2. Obesity affects a woman’s menstrual cycle

For a woman who wants to get pregnant, her menstrual cycle needs to be regular. However as obesity affects the menstrual cycle, this makes it difficult to predict when she will be fertile.

3. Obesity increases the risk of miscarriage

The effect of obesity on fertility and pregnancy includes an increased risk of miscarriage. The fat around the uterus will press the foetus and cause nutritional problems.

4. Obesity can lead to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is an effect of obesity on fertility and pregnancy. It is a hormonal imbalance that will disrupt the normal menstrual cycle and ovulation, thereby causing infertility.

5. Obesity can cause an oversupply of oestrogen

Obesity will also increase the quantity of oestrogen, even if this hormone is necessary during the conception, having an oversupply will affect the fertility and pregnancy.

6. Obesity can augment the androgen levels

Hyperandrogenism is the oversupply of androgen level, caused by obesity. It is responsible for the disruption of the ovarian cycle in a woman’s monthly period.

7. Obesity will decrease the success of fertility treatments

Another effect of obesity is the decreased success of fertility treatments and other assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and etc.

8. Obesity can create resistance to leptin

Leptin is a protein present in the body that helps to regulate body weight and infertility. But another unwanted effect of obesity on fertility and pregnancy is that it renders the leptin protein useless leading to fertility problems.

Obesity has a direct effect on fertility which should not be underestimated. Every extra kilo on top of your healthy body mass index can slowly start affecting your fertility and lead to obesity. That in itself can make it almost impossible to give birth to a child.

Infertility problems are faced even by women who have a normal ovulation cycle if they happen to be overweight. But not only women should be worried. Men also bear the burden of obesity:

You can find some of our food tips on the Conceive Plus facebook page. Don’t forget about Conceive Plus – the support you want to conceive naturally faster.