Weight and Infertility: How Much Weight Should I Lose?

Obie Editorial Team

BellyWhen I first heard the doctor tell me I was infertile, I felt like my life was coming to an end. I’d been trying to get pregnant for more than six months to no avail. I felt like I was in good health, but there were invisible factors that I did not image could put a damper on my fertility. I was overweight and that extra weight was the main factor in my infertility. 

Weight was not the only factor. According to Pregnancy.org, if your fertility specialist tells you the only factor stopping you from conceiving is your weight, seek another opinion. Weight can cause problems with ovulation, as was the case with my infertility, but there are medications and treatments that can solve that problem, but there was more to it for me than just getting pregnant. If my weight was causing me to have problems conceiving, then there could be other health factors that could cause problems with my pregnancy that could also be attributed to my weight, but how much weight did I need to lose?

Health improvements start at just 10-percent weight loss. In my case, I weighed about 250 pounds, so I needed to lose a minimum of 25 pounds to start noticing some major health changes. I started watching what I ate and the weight starting coming off, SLOWLY! But, within two to three months of eating healthier foods, my first pregnancy was realized. 

I quickly gained a lot of weight during the pregnancy and was left weighing more than I did before my first pregnancy by the time my first child was born. This time around my menstrual cycle stopped all together. After nearly one year of trying to lose weight I finally had a menstrual cycle; after which I was able to conceive my second child. 

Weight is a problem for some women in regards to fertility, but it was not the only factor I was dealing with medically. My doctor offered to start me on a series of fertility medications, which could have solved my fertility problems without weight loss, but I wanted to conceive naturally and eventually I did. 

Are you overweight and trying to conceive? Are you concerned that your weight is holding you back?

Source: Pregnancy.org – Fertility Advice for Overweight and Obese Women