Does excess weight affect conception? How are weight and conceiving a child related and is it possible to get pregnant with a weight above and below normal? Low weight of a woman when planning pregnancy

Obesity is a disease in which the volume of adipose tissue in the body is significantly increased, and various metabolic disorders occur.

Obesity can be associated both with overeating and a sedentary lifestyle, and with various diseases (in particular, endocrine pathologies, metabolic disorders and central nervous system activity).

According to the World Health Organization, almost a third of residents of economically developed countries are overweight, and, unfortunately, their percentage is constantly growing.

Obesity levels

Depending on how much a person's weight exceeds normal body weight, degrees of obesity are distinguished. First of all, it is necessary to specify what weight is considered ideal. Calculating BMI (body mass index) involves using the following formula: weight in kilograms should be divided by the square of height in centimeters (for example, with parameters of 1.69 m and 65 kg, the formula will look like 65/1.692, which is equal to 22.8). A BMI in the range from 18.5 to 25 is considered normal. However, we are talking about obesity only if the BMI exceeds 30.

Stage 1 obesity is diagnosed with a BMI from 30 to 34.9
Stage 2 obesity is diagnosed with a BMI from 35 to 39.9
Stage 3 is diagnosed with a BMI over 40

Competently: commentary from a gynecologist

Obstetrician-gynecologist Elena Artemyeva answers patient questions

— My height is 172 and my weight is 51 kg. The monthly cycle is irregular. I haven't been able to get pregnant for four years now. Doctors say it's due to weight and recommend IVF. Will it be possible to carry a child after IVF, given the lack of body weight?

— Your ideal weight for conception is between 55-73 kg. If for some reason it is not possible to recover to these figures and if it is not possible to get pregnant for so long, IVF is recommended. You will be able to carry the baby to term, but try to eat very well during pregnancy.

- I am 28 years old. We have been planning a baby for 7 months now, but fertilization is not happening. My husband and I were examined and everything is fine. With a height of 168 cm, I weigh 94 kilograms. I should lose weight, but I don’t know how the diet will affect conception. I want to try a vegetable diet.

— Weight really matters for conceiving a child. Losing weight is good for you; losing weight will increase your chances of conceiving. But strict diets have an adverse effect on hormonal levels. The diet should be balanced, and a strict vegetable diet has virtually no proteins or fats.

— I have been overweight since childhood. Now I weigh 95 kg. My gynecologist said that the chances of pregnancy are low until I lose weight. What nutrition is needed before planning a pregnancy and how to lose weight?

— You need to be examined by an endocrinologist. Often, endocrine obesity requires special approaches, and nutritional correction will not be enough. Be patient, you can’t lose weight quickly. First of all, you need to organize your diet. The calorie content of the daily diet is 1700-1900 kcal. You need to eat often, but little by little (5-6 meals). Focus on light foods - fruits and vegetables, low-fat sour milk, fish. Drink a lot of clean water - at least 2 liters. Don't eat at night. Eliminate smoked, salty, canned food, sweets, alcohol, limit flour. Spend at least one fasting day a week. Physical activity is required.

Conception is a very complex process that depends on how well all systems in the body function. It is not enough that only the uterus is healthy to successfully conceive and bear a baby. The endocrine, circulatory, and nervous systems play a major role in this process; even excess weight or lack thereof can interfere with conception.

Many patients are interested in how excess weight affects conception, and why excess weight interferes with getting pregnant. You need to understand that excess weight significantly complicates life for the body, forcing it to work with double effort. In the end, there may simply be no strength left for pregnancy.

Classification

Depending on the causes, primary and secondary obesity are distinguished. Primary obesity is not caused by any pathologies and is detected in approximately ¾ of cases. Secondary obesity develops against the background of some disease.

The android (visceral) type of obesity suggests that fat deposits are distributed predominantly in the abdominal area. The gynoid (feminine) type of obesity suggests that fat deposits are concentrated in the thighs and buttocks. Fat can be deposited fairly evenly throughout the body - in this case they speak of a mixed type of obesity. In order to determine the type of obesity, it is necessary to find out the ratio of waist to hip volume.

In case of female obesity, patients have increased activity of the aromatase enzyme. The decrease in tissue sensitivity to insulin (insulin resistance) in this case is moderately expressed. The level of SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) is normal.

In visceral obesity, insulin resistance, on the contrary, is significantly expressed. SHBG levels are reduced.

Infertility in obese women

Both with primary and secondary obesity in women, there is a dysfunction of the hypothalamus and, as a consequence, disruptions in the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian system. The only difference is that they can either be the cause of this condition, or arise against its background.

Violation of the secretion of sex hormones, thus, according to the feedback principle, can cause disturbances in the regulation of the menstrual cycle on the part of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.

Obese women often exhibit anovulatory cycles and luteal phase defects. Also, if you are overweight, there is a possibility that the patient will develop polycystic ovary syndrome with subsequent signs of androgenization. Why is this possible? The fact is that the male hormone androstenedinione, produced by the ovaries, is also converted into the female steroid hormone estrone, which in turn causes an increase in the sensitivity of the pituitary gland to the effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. In this regard, luteinizing hormone (LH) begins to be produced in the same excess quantities, without the peak release that normally initiates ovulation.

Fighting excess weight for conception

At the stage of pregnancy planning, with a high BMI, it is advisable for a woman to get her shape in order. To do this, experts recommend adhering to the following tips:

Proper nutrition. The balance of BJU in the diet will help normalize the functioning of the endocrine system and replenish the supply of nutritional components in the body of the expectant mother. You need to lose weight slowly - no more than 500 grams per week - otherwise rapid weight loss will negatively affect the functioning of the hormonal system.
Physical activity. It doesn't have to be a grueling workout. Moderate physical activity is quite enough: fitness, swimming, jogging, cycling, etc. You need to do little by little, gradually increasing the intensity of the exercises.

Pregnancy with obesity

Expectant mothers who are overweight are at risk for developing certain complications both in the gestational, labor, and postpartum periods.

Overweight women have an increased risk of miscarriage, gestational diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, and preeclampsia.

In addition, women who are overweight often experience post-term pregnancy. Also, weakness of labor is often detected, which cannot always be corrected with drugs. In this regard, in many cases, delivery is carried out by cesarean section.

In the postpartum period, bleeding is possible, the cause of which is both disturbances in the hemostatic system and a deterioration in the contractile activity of the uterus.

If you have any questions related to the problem of infertility due to obesity, you can ask them to the doctors at Nova Clinic. You can make an appointment with an endocrinologist by calling the number listed on the website or using the booking button.

Not tactics, but strategy!

Of course, it is advisable not just to “lose” a little, but to bring your weight to the norm calculated by doctors. But often, in order for pregnancy to become possible, it is enough to lose at least a little weight. Studies prove: 80% of women who have lost at least 10% weight have improved reproductive function without additional treatment!

By the way, about treatment. Even if an overweight woman becomes pregnant under the influence of potent hormonal drugs, but does not lose weight, she may have problems with the formation of the fetus and bearing the baby.

It is known that for pregnant women with excess body weight, the risk of developing intrauterine anomalies in the child is 2–3 times higher. At the same time, identifying malformations is difficult purely physically, because it is very difficult to carry out ultrasound diagnostics with a large layer of fat. This means that you can miss some serious problems and not be prepared to provide adequate assistance to the baby at birth.

More information

Everyone knows that excess weight creates not only a cosmetic defect, but can also provoke a number of serious diseases. Excess weight does not directly affect the ovaries and uterus and does not cause infertility in 100% of cases, but contributes to its occurrence.

Excess weight provokes hormonal disruptions in the body and various endocrine disorders. As you know, excess weight does not occur on its own; it is usually associated with eating high-calorie foods, sweets, and fast food. Such nutrition negatively affects the functioning of the cardiovascular and endocrine systems.

An imbalance of sex hormones can provoke polycystic ovary syndrome, cause menstrual irregularities and lack of ovulation. As a result of hormonal disorders, gynecological pathologies can also occur, in particular endometriosis. This disease is a growth of the endometrium of the uterus, and it is estrogen-dependent.

Endometriosis has the most negative impact on the ability to have children, as it cripples the uterus from the inside. The overgrown endometrium does not allow the fetus to attach and begin to feed from the mother’s circulatory system. As a result, the embryo simply dies and pregnancy does not occur.

The presence of excess weight provokes not only endocrine disorders, but also physical ones. A large layer of fat in women usually accumulates in the abdominal area. Fat compresses tissues and disrupts blood circulation in the pelvis, causing stagnation. Thus, excess weight prevents you from getting pregnant.

The situation becomes more complicated if, due to weight, the patient stops actively moving and begins to lead a passive lifestyle. This can lead to serious diseases not only of the reproductive system, but also to pathologies of internal organs. Women who are overweight are more susceptible to atherosclerosis, liver and kidney pathologies.

Definitely, excess weight makes a woman unattractive, both in her own eyes and in the eyes of men. Of course, there are always exceptions; many chicks are happily married. But in most cases, men prefer slender women, because such representatives of the fair sex have a greater chance of giving birth and raising healthy people, this is physiology.

Constantly being aware of one's unattractiveness reduces libido and makes a woman feel stressed, which also has a very negative effect on the process of conception. There is such a thing as psychological infertility. If a woman is constantly stressed, then difficulties arise with conception.

Should a man lose weight before conceiving in the video:

Women planning a child are interested in how to lose weight in order to get pregnant. This is a very correct and relevant question, the solution of which must be addressed immediately. The sooner a woman realizes that excess weight is an enemy to her health and happy life, the better for her.

Before you go on any diet, you need to understand a few things. First you need to determine whether you really are overweight. The easiest way to do this is to subtract 110 from your height, the resulting figure will show your ideal weight. For example, if a woman is 165 cm tall, her normal weight will be 165-110 = 55 kg.

Of course, this figure is approximate; a normal weight would be either 50 kg or 60 kg. But if your actual weight exceeds this figure by more than 20%, you should think about it and start watching your figure so as not to become obese.

Can a fat woman get pregnant? Maybe, if no major changes have occurred in her body, but such a pregnancy will be more difficult than that of a slender pregnant woman. Extra pounds create stress on the legs, spine, and circulatory system. As a result, a woman’s likelihood of gestosis and miscarriage increases.

Nutrition

The most important thing in losing weight is, of course, nutrition. If a woman continues to eat a lot of unhealthy and high-calorie foods, then no amount of exercise will help her. The main idea of proper weight loss is to consume slightly fewer calories than you burn. And to maintain health and nerves, you need to get calories from the right foods.

What is fat? Fat is excess energy that is not spent, but stored in the body, like money in a bank. To lose fat, you need to get less energy from food so that the body begins to extract it from fat.

Many women understand this and begin to count calories, but instead of eating healthy, they starve, consuming high-calorie foods in small quantities. This is fundamentally wrong. If the body experiences hunger, it stops taking energy from fat and retains it for as long as possible, while the woman feels weak and dizzy.

So, to lose weight, you need to eat. Moreover, you need to eat a lot, at least 6 times a day. But it is very important to eat the right foods in the right quantities, then you will be able to improve the condition of your skin and hair, lose excess weight and never feel hungry.

Most importantly, you need to eat low-calorie, healthy foods that will fill you up well, but at the same time help you eliminate excess weight. Such products include:

Lean meats - chicken breast, beef, turkey.
Any fish - cod, pollock, pink salmon, pike perch.
Seafood - mussels, shrimp, squid.
Cereals - oatmeal, buckwheat, pearl barley, brown rice, wheat porridge.
Bran, whole grain cereals.
Fresh vegetable oils (not for frying) - flaxseed, olive, sunflower, etc.
Vegetables, fruits, herbs - fresh and stewed, in large quantities.
Fermented milk products - cottage cheese, plain yoghurts, fresh kefir.
Berries, nuts (except peanuts).

The list of products for proper weight loss is very long. This includes all fresh products that have not been processed and do not contain various additives such as sugar, salt, flavorings, preservatives and dyes.

You need to cook food correctly. Frying in oil is not recommended, because when frying, excess fat is absorbed into the product, increasing its calorie content. But you can cook on a grill or frying pan without oil, bake, stew, boil.

BJU

It is very important to distribute food correctly throughout the day. The daily diet should include 1.5-2.5 g of protein per kilogram of weight, provided that the woman plays sports. The rate will depend on the intensity. If the training is not very intense, 1.5 g per kg of weight is enough. If they are very intense, then you need to consume 2.5 g. Protein is found in cottage cheese, chicken breast, and fish.

You definitely need to eat fat. Many women think that to lose weight fats must be eliminated, but this is not at all true, it is enough just to reduce their amount. If you give up fat, the body will begin to suffer, since these substances are necessary for its normal functioning. To lose weight, it is recommended to consume 0.8-1 g of fat per kg of weight. Healthy fats are found in nuts, sesame, flaxseed, olive and other oils.

Carbohydrates should also be present in the diet, normally from 1.2 to 1.5 g per kg of weight. A low-carbohydrate diet is not suitable for us, since a woman’s goal is not to lose weight as quickly as possible by any means, but to improve the body’s health in order to become pregnant. To do this, you need to eat healthy carbohydrates: fruits and vegetables, cereals, cereals, yeast-free bread. You need to avoid simple carbohydrates, these include sweets and sugar, and baked goods.

Let's try to calculate the BZHU for weight loss for a woman weighing 70 kg with a height of 165 cm. The normal weight for such a woman is 50-60 kg, ideally 55 kg. In order for the body to be in a healthy state, you need to weigh no more than 60 kg. Thus, the patient is 10 kg overweight. Let's calculate the BJU:

Proteins 2*70=140 grams per day.
Fats 0.8*70= 56 grams per day.
Carbohydrates 1.2*70 = 84 grams per day.

Based on these data, we will create a menu for 2 days.

Breakfast: Oatmeal without sugar, green tea.
Lunch: Orange.
Lunch: Stewed cabbage, chicken fillet.
Afternoon snack: Green apple.
Dinner: Fresh vegetable salad with olive oil, steamed fish.
Late dinner: A glass of 1% kefir.

Omelet with tomatoes and bell peppers.
Lunch: A handful of almonds.
Lunch: Brown risk and beef stew, fresh cucumber.
Afternoon snack: Grapefruit.
Dinner: Fresh salad, boiled egg.
Late dinner: A serving of low-fat cottage cheese with a handful of raisins.

This menu will saturate the body with essential vitamins and minerals and replenish the body with the required amount of proteins and carbohydrates. At the same time, the woman will successfully lose weight and not feel debilitating hunger.

The portion should be small, it is very important not to overeat. For example, 1 serving of porridge is 150 grams, a serving of meat is 100-120 grams. You can eat salad in larger quantities, but you don’t need to overeat and stretch your stomach.

Experienced nutritionists and trainers recommend doing a cheat meal every week for psychological relief. One holiday meal is allowed on one day of the week, but provided that the principles of healthy eating are followed throughout the week without errors. During a cheat meal, you can eat whatever your heart desires, but you don’t need to go to extremes and overeat, in order to avoid problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Exercises

The most important condition for losing weight is regular physical activity. It is very difficult to waste the calories you eat if you lie on the couch all day watching TV, or sit at the computer in the office.

If a woman wants to lose weight and get pregnant, she needs not just to do exercises, but to pay attention to the pelvic and hip areas every day. But before starting classes, you need to undergo examination by a gynecologist, because with some diseases, active training can be harmful. In this case, a gentle exercise therapy program will be required, which the woman will select together with the doctor.

If a woman is healthy, then she should immediately start exercising. First of all, you need to get used to doing exercises every morning. Morning warm-up helps improve blood circulation, strengthen the immune system, and make a woman active.

It is also recommended to start doing fitness for at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. If you can’t sign up for a fitness club, you can train yourself using videos on the Internet. The following exercises will be useful for losing weight and strengthening the pelvic organs:

Running and cardio workouts are especially beneficial for weight loss.
Deep squats.
Exercise "bicycle" and "scissors".
Stretching exercises.
Twisting on the press.
Push ups.
Plank exercise.

All these simple and well-known exercises will help strengthen your entire body and lose excess weight. But it is very important to exercise regularly and adhere to proper nutrition, otherwise it will be difficult to achieve results.

You need to start exercising gradually with light loads. Each workout begins with an active joint warm-up and ends with stretching. If these rules are neglected, you may get injured.

To lose weight before conceiving, you can go to yoga, swimming, dancing, cycling or just walking. Any physical activity is welcome. It is best if a woman does exactly what she likes. Then the training will not be exhausting and will only bring a sea of positive emotions.

If your menstrual cycle is 28 days (or so), it's possible that your weight isn't interfering with ovulation and it won't hurt your chances of getting pregnant

Sometimes the desired pregnancy does not occur. The woman makes many attempts and visits many doctors. When assessing your chances of getting pregnant, you should consider many factors: cycle regularity, excess weight, psychological situation, hereditary factor. Many of these problems can be solved. For example, if you are preparing for pregnancy, you can regulate your monthly cycle using birth control. Modern contraceptives perfectly perform this function and establish hormonal processes in the body.

Women who are overweight may experience hormonal imbalances, which can affect their menstrual cycle and stop ovulation. This means a difficult pregnancy.

This makes it difficult to conceive a child.

Doesn't have to be overweight

For example, being overweight

, is closely associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In women with PCOS, the ovaries are unable to produce enough hormones that stimulate the egg (to mature and be released normally).

Some women with PCOS have too much of the hormone insulin. This hormone typically helps the body reduce glucose concentrations. But too much causes the body to release excess male hormones called androgens. High androgen levels can interfere with ovulation and make it difficult for you to conceive.

Research has shown that being overweight can add some challenges to conceiving through in vitro fertilization (IVF). It's better to lose extra pounds

before you try to get pregnant, this will greatly increase your
chances of getting pregnant.
How much should you lose? To calculate your optimal weight, use body mass index (BMI), which calculates your weight and height. Divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters, and then divide again by your height in meters (for example: if your weight is 50kg and your height is 160cm, your BMI would be 50 divided by 1.6, and divided by 1.6 which will be 19.53). Doctors consider a BMI between 19 and 25 to be ideal.

To establish more accurate diagnoses and prescribe treatment, talk to your doctor - this is the best way, in this situation, to achieve the goal of conceiving a child.

There are special diets that increase the chances of getting pregnant

. Use them. You will definitely succeed!

Excess weight does not just cause discomfort and aesthetic inconvenience. It often causes problems with conception.

Many people wonder how excess weight affects the conception of a child in women. Every unnecessary kilogram negatively affects your overall health and is a prerequisite for serious diseases. Extra pounds hinder conception, negatively affecting the menstrual cycle.

Excess weight prevents a woman from becoming pregnant because adipose tissue is hormonally active. It produces estrogens (sex hormones).

As the amount of fat increases, hormone levels increase, and “a lot” becomes the exact opposite of “good.” In 25% of cases of infertility in a family, the cause is obesity in the man.

In men

Additional kilos have a detrimental effect on the ability to produce offspring in men. Excess weight and conception are two related concepts in the field of male fertility. Unnecessary kilograms lead to a decrease in the normal number of sperm and impair their motility, because adipose tissue is an endocrine organ that produces estrogens. An excess of these hormones contributes to the formation of a small number of male germ cells. Medicine has found that excess weight in men reduces the chances of conceiving a child.

Among women

Increased body weight prevents a woman from becoming pregnant. In a plump woman, pregnancy occurs 30% less often than in a girl with normal weight.

Such representatives of the fair half of humanity often risk termination of pregnancy - spontaneous miscarriage occurs in the first trimester.

Overweight girls who are in an interesting position are often susceptible to the following diseases:

diabetes;
hypertension;
impaired renal function.

With increased body weight, the contractile activity of the uterus is impaired and it is much more difficult to give birth naturally. For obese patients, cesarean section is preferably recommended. To diagnose the condition, a woman needs to consult a fertility specialist and nutritionist.