Weight can have a significant affect on fertility rates, especially for women.* And a recent report which was unveiled and talked about at the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) meeting adds more credibility and increased understanding to and about the options available for obese women suffering from infertility.
During a nine-year study, women who were deemed clinically or morbidly obese and then lost weight due to bariatric surgery were closely followed. At the end of the study, all the women who were tracked (and who had a desire to become pregnant) were able to conceive after losing the excess weight. This held true even for those with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), giving tremendous hope to the hundreds of thousands of females suffering from PCOS and weight-related fertility issues.
(The average age of the women in the study was 32. Therefore, it should be noted that obese females who are older than 32 may have more trouble conceiving even after bariatric surgery.)
However, in the end, it’s important to accept that if you are a woman with PCOS and/or are clinically obese (BMI of more than 25), connecting with a fertility specialist like those at RSI is essential. Remember that if you’re having trouble conceiving, the answers to increasing your fertility rates may lie in a host of solutions.
* Don’t forget that being underweight can be as problematic in terms of conception as being overweight.