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Can Your Eating Habits Make You Infertile?08 Mar
2005
The
societal pressures on women to be attractive, successful, and
thin are stronger than ever. The desirable woman portrayed in
the media is much thinner than the average woman. Popular
slogans such as "thin is in" and "you can never be too rich or
too thin" have equated thinness with happiness. The result is
that for the first time in history, being attractive means
being thin. Healthy weight women have an easier time getting
pregnant than overweight or underweight women. Studies show
that women whose body mass index (BMI) is below 20 or above 25
(especially above 30) have a harder time getting pregnant, so
it's a good idea to try to get yourself into the 20 to 25
range before you start trying.
According to Dr. Fady
Sharara, board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and
Medical Director of the Virginia Center for Reproductive
Medicine, being underweight can affect a woman's fertility,
due to reduced body fat that can affect ovulation. "Even
moderate weight loss of 10-15% under the ideal body weight can
result in an irregular menstrual cycle," says Dr. Sharara.
This contradicts the popular belief that only dramatic weight
loss of 30% or more-commonly found in women with anorexia
nervosa and bulimia-will lead to menstrual irregularities.
Studies show that up to 73 percent of these underweight women
who have been able to achieve 95 percent of their ideal body
weight, have restored ovulation and pregnancy.
In
addition, obesity and weight gain are also emerging as
significant factors in ovulatory dysfunction and thus
infertility. More than 60% of the US population is overweight
(BMI > 25), and at least 30% are obese (BMI > 30).
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), which is a health problem
that can affect a woman's menstrual cycle and fertility, has
been linked to weight gain or obesity. However, women who do
not have PCOS but are overweight have also been linked to
fertility problems. "The insulin resistance state induced by
the weight gain results in an altered hormonal milieu, which
can impair the fertility process", says Dr. Sharara. "In
addition to being infertile, these women have also increased
risk at developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart
disease as they get older." Many overweight women who have
gone through group treatment programs to lose weight have
shown a return of fertility. Also, studies have shown that
weight loss of 15 pounds can restore ovulation in women who
are overweight (obese women need to lose more). Many
researchers believe that the body's ability to regulate
insulin production has more to do with the regulation of
ovulation than the weight loss itself. Being overweight or
obese result in significantly reduced chances at getting
pregnant with fertility treatments such as IVF, which was
shown by Dr Sharara in 2001, and recently confirmed in larger
studies.
Dr. Sharara advises infertile couples to
consider body weight first. Weight gain is the first treatment
he recommends to women who weigh less than 95 percent of their
ideal body weight. Conversely, he advises women who weigh more
than 120 percent of their ideal body weight, to lose weight.
For additional information or to schedule an interview
with Dr. Sharara, please contact Marcela Bequillard,
Marcela@kmrcommunications.com, KMR Communications, at
212-213-6444. KMR Communications, Inc. is a vital
communications resource, fulfilling the interview needs of the
news media with experts from the medical, fitness and beauty
industry.
Marcela Bequillard
Account
Executive
KMR Communications, Inc. (USA)
P:
212-213-6444
F:
212-213-4699
Marcela@kmrcommunications.com
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