The Link between Obesity and Fertility

Obese women are known to face difficulties in trying to get pregnant, usually taking a longer time to conceive, regardless of their age and regular menstrual cycle. Women who are obese have a greater risk of pregnancy-related problems. Obesity is found to damage a woman's embryos and stops them from developing further. Obese women may face alterations in their ovaries which could be one of the reasons that cause an egg's inability to become an embryo.

It is believed by the medical world that the characteristics of the eggs are determined by the environment in which they develop within the ovary. Obese women have unexpectedly high levels of fats and inflammation in the fluid surrounding the eggs, which affects an egg's capacity of developing. The accumulated fat in a woman’s body alters the sensitive metabolism of the egg that has an adverse impact on the embryo formation.

With an altered ovarian follicular condition and increased metabolite and androgen activity levels, obese women have enough reasons for their poorer reproductive systems. Obesity causes blood lipid changes and higher inflammation rate which can impact not only fertility but also a person's general health. According to studies, a woman is obese if she has Body Mass Index (BMI) that is more than 35.

Effects of obesity on fertility and pregnancy:

Obese women face major health risks during pregnancy. Obesity has been linked to the following infertility and pregnancy complications:
• Reduced ovulation rate
• Preeclampsia that is caused due to increased blood pressure during pregnancy
• Stillbirths
• Reduced chances of conceiving naturally
• Increased risk of miscarriage, pregnancy complications and congenital anomalies
• Long term affect on mother and child’s health
• Gestational diabetes
• Cesarean sections
• Pregnancy hypertension

Obesity can also lead to post-pregnancy complications such as urinary tract infections, endometrial infection, urinary incontinence and injuries that do not heal easily.

Possible Treatment Options for Obesity

There are a variety of obesity treatments available to women. Following are the recommended treatment options for obesity:
• Dietary therapy: the diet of the individual is modified and closely monitored
• Physical therapy: the individual is introduced to a moderate exercise program
• Behavior therapy:this includes correcting the eating disorder and other behavioral disorders of the individual
• Drug therapy: medications including drugs are provided in conjunction with physical and dietary therapy
• Obesity surgery: In some severe cases of obesity, gastric bypass surgery is also recommended

East Bay Fertility Center, Dublin, California offers counseling services not just to couples who are facing difficulties in conceiving but also to obese women with fertility issues. Our medical staff at East Bay Fertility Center helps you stay motivated throughout the infertility treatment. In addition to the infertility counseling services, we specialize in providing infertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization, insemination, Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, egg donation, gestational surrogacy.

Please visit our website www.ebfertility.com for details to know about different treatment options that we provide.