Is Your Weight Putting Your Fertility At Risk?

Maintaining a healthy weight is important for general wellness, and  having a weight outside of the healthy range can be harmful to your fertility. Both underweight and overweight women are at risk of decreased fertility.

Understanding BMI

The usual way to determine if your weight falls within the “healthy” range is by calculation of your body mass index (BMI). Your BMI is calculated from your weight in kilograms (kg) divided by your height in meters squared (m²).

In general a BMI between 19 and 25 kg/m² is considered normal for women. Overweight is defined as a BMI between 25 and 29.9 kg/m² and obesity is defined as a BMI greater than 30 kg/m².

Women with low BMI (<17 kg/m²) and high BMI (>27 kg/m²) are less likely to ovulate regularly, which can lead to infertility. In overweight and obese women, anovulatory infertility is due to high insulin levels related to insulin resistance.  Excess insulin can lead to high male hormone (androgen) levels, and these excess androgens can alter the normal ovarian function and ovulation.

The anovulation that occurs in infertile women with low BMI is often associated with excessive exercise or low calorie intake.  These behaviors can suppress reproductive hormone production, which results in a lack of regular ovulation.

Variations do exist by race, particularly for Black women. The standard measure of abdominal obesity for women is 35 inches or more, putting them at higher risk for heart disease and diabetes. A study published in the journal Obesity found that a “high-risk” waistline for Black women was approximately 38 inches and BMI of 33, meaning that we can carry more weight before our risk for these diseases is elevated.

Improving Fertility

Weight management is critical to improving fertility in women with both high and low BMI.  A weight loss of 5% to 10% can improve ovulation and pregnancy rates in infertile women who are overweight.

For infertile women with low BMI, weight gain can improve the frequency of ovulation and the chance for pregnancy.

While regular exercise  is key to achieving a healthy weight, intensive exercise should be limited in women trying to conceive.  As mentioned, excessive exercise in women can lead to anovulatory infertility, but even ovulatory women’s fertility can be negatively impacted by too much exercise.

Population studies have found that women who engage in more than seven hours per week of intense aerobic activity have a higher incidence of ovulatory infertility.

Is Your Weight Putting Your Fertility At Risk?  was originally published on blackdoctor.org

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