Medical professionals have documented many of the health issues related to, or blamed on obesity and have recently concluded the connection between obesity and infertility. There are many possible causes for infertility, but studies have shown obese women, those with a body mass index over 30, generally have inconsistent menstrual cycles, leading to inconsistent ovulation, reducing the chances of becoming pregnant.
Irregular cycles and inconsistent ovulation aren’t the only problems which obese women face in regards to fertility. Polysystic Ovarian syndrome is a serious problem which greatly reduces fertility levels, and it’s often seen in obese women. In-vitro fertilization is frequently a failure in obese women. It’s now been revealed that obesity, diabetes, and by efforts to use in-vitro fertilization to become pregnant are often unsuccessful in obese women. It is becoming increasingly clear that obesity, diabetes, and hyperinsulinemia are making a severe negative impact on women’s fertility levels.
Fertility may be severely diminished by obesity
Studies have revealed that since obese women more frequently experience irregular ovulation and have more immature eggs, they will also experience a higher rate of tubal pregnancies. Tubal pregnancies occur in the fallopian tubes rather than the uterus and are not viable since the fetus can’t develop properly outside of the uterus. Tubal pregnancy may be one of the main reasons that obese women have a high rate of miscarriage, but there are also other possible factors which are not yet known and are still being studied.
Birth Complications Show Increase For Obese Mothers
Recent studies in Sweden have shown that high blood pressure during pregnancy is four to five times more likely to strike obese women. Even more troubling is the revelation that stillbirths are more common in women with a body mass index of 35 or more. This appears to be clearly obesity related, since women with BMIs of 26 or less have far less stillbirths.
Children born to obese mothers are two to three times more likely to having serious birth complications due to the infant’s shoulder becoming stuck in the mother’s pelvis. Gestational diabetes is also a much more serious threat since it is seen much more commonly in babies of obese mothers. Obesity causes problems during not just with infertility, but also causes many of the issues seen during the pregnancies and deliveries of obese women.
As research continues to further understand the connection between obesity and infertility, hypothyroidism is also being examined to determine if there is a connection. Many obese people, male and female with thyroid problems also suffer from obesity, but the connection between the thyroid, obesity and infertility are still being studied, the thyroid plays a large role in pregnancy for women as well as the health of the fetus.
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