Weight Loss Doesn't Improve Fertility, Pregnancy Chances: Study

Many experts say that reaching an ideal weight should be a prerequisite to planning pregnancy. Being obese and pregnant increases your risk of a host of pregnancy-related complications, such as miscarriage, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, premature birth, etc. It also increases your risk of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects fertility. Many believe that weighing more than normal can impact fertility and the chance of getting pregnant. However, a recent study has proved otherwise. As per the study done in the United States, weight loss does not affect fertility and doesn’t increase your chances of pregnancy.

About The Study

This study was done across nine academic medical centres across the United States.

• It involved 379 women, all of whom were obese and had unexplained infertility.
• They were divided into two groups.
• The first group involving 188 women was put on an intense diet through meal replacement and medication. They also did an intense physical activity. Their goal was to lose weight.
• Group 2 involving 191 participants increased the level of their physical activity with no intention to lose weight.
• After undergoing these, the participants received three rounds of standard infertility treatment. 

The findings of this study were published in the PLoS journal.

Also read: Why You’re Not Getting Pregnant? Here Are 8 Reasons for Female Infertility

What Did The Study Find?

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Making major lifestyle tweaks and losing weight had no different impact on fertility, chances of pregnancy, and healthy birth as increasing the level of physical activity, the study found.

• It has been said for decades that obese women often have difficulty getting pregnant, said researcher Daniel J. Haisenleder. Hence, several doctors recommend losing weight before planning pregnancy. However, not much research has been done into comparing the effects of a healthy lifestyle and healthy lifestyle accompanied with weight loss on fertility, she said, as per a leading news agency. 
• Coming back to the study results, women in the weight loss program ended up losing an average of 7% of their body weight. On the other hand, participants in the exercise-only program maintained their original weight. 
• In the end, no significant difference was seen between the two groups in terms of fertility and healthy births. Out of 188 women in the first group, 23 gave birth. Similarly, 29 women out of the 191 participants in the second group ended up giving birth.
• Weight loss achieved in the first group, however, provided other positive results. The women saw a decrease in metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions that occur together increasing your chances of a range of chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. “Weight loss improved metabolic health” in these participants, Haisenleder said. It, however, didn’t have much impact on fertility, she added.

So, weight loss has been shown to have no impact on fertility, as this study has shown. But it ensures major health benefits. A healthy weight keeps diseases at bay, improves energy levels, ensures health, and is beneficial for mental health. All these factors can together contribute towards a healthy pregnancy. Hence, you must try losing weight before planning a child. 

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