Aishwarya Iyer
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Written By: Aishwarya Iyer | Published : August 11, 2018 7:41 PM IST
It no news that obesity can play the villain in all your life plans. Whether it is about inviting multiple other diseases such as diabetes or simply affecting your chances of conception- obesity is a problem that needs to be tackled well.
However, even if you are underweight, there could be many problems of conceiving. Simply because you are lacking nutrients or suffering from a condition that is causing serious weight-loss. We explain how both the extremes- being underweight or overweight could lead to infertility.
How does being overweight affect a woman's fertility?
There is a direct link between obesity and difficulty in conceiving. Studies say that obese women are three times more likely to suffer infertility and have lower success in fertility treatments, than women with a normal body mass index.
According to Dr Rajalaxmi Walavalkar, Consultant, IVF and Reproductive Surgery, Cocoon Fertility, there are 5 ways how being overweight could affect your fertility:
1) Obese women are usually insulin resistant, have more androgens (male hormones) and exhibit deranged female hormone interactions.
2) Hormonal imbalance can also cause problems with ovulation.
3) They tend to have difficulty in growing an egg, as well as releasing it into the fallopian tube. The quality of the egg also tends to be poor
4) Women who are obese are prone to have PCOS (Poly-cystic ovarian syndrome) and irregular periods which is a common cause of infertility in women.
5) Risk of miscarriage is higher in obese women, as is the risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure during pregnancy.
"In some cases, as little as 5% weight loss can help achieve a successful pregnancy," said Dr Walavalkar.
How does being underweight affect a woman's fertility?
"While being overweight can adversely affect fertility, being underweight can also decrease fertility chances," explained Dr Walavalkar.
A healthy BMI is normally between 19-24. Anything below 19 and above 24 can obstruct chances of conception.
-A lower than normal BMI can cause failure of ovulation.
-Furthermore, irregular or sometimes absent menstrual cycles means your body isn't releasing eggs.
Therefore, it is very important to maintain a normal BMI when you are trying to conceive. You could do this by eating right and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You could try these 3 tips to live a healthy life:
1) Eat right- Eat good and nutrient rich foods. Don't forget to consume dairy products and green leafy vegetables. Have meals 5 times in a day. Starving is not helping you to lose weight, trust us.
2) Sleep well-Sleeping for 7 hours, in the least is not a choice, it is mandatory. Sleeping plays a major role in your fertility.
3) Exercise- Oh we can go on and on about how exercising is important for you. Yoga, running, jogging or anything that keeps your stress free and happy is worth trying.
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