Have you and your partner been having sex regularly but not getting pregnant? Tryok, check your weight. Weight doesn't only affect appearanceyou know, but also fertility rates.
Studies show that women who are overweight or even less than normal tend to take longer to get pregnant. The reason is, ideal body weight and balanced fat levels are needed to facilitate pregnancy.
Conditions for Fat or Thin Women Who Have Difficulty Getting Pregnant
There are two things related to weight that you need to pay attention to if you want to have a baby soon, namely Body Mass Index (BMI) and body fat levels.
A BMI of 18.5-24.9 is considered normal. However, the best chance of getting pregnant occurs when your BMI is in the 20-25 range. Women who are too thin (BMI less than 20) or overweight BMI more than 25 have an 18% lower chance of pregnancy than women of ideal weight.
A similar problem occurs in women who are too muscular and have too little fat in their bodies. Women with this condition are also at risk of having difficulty conceiving, despite having an ideal body weight. This is because it takes at least 22% of the fat in a woman's body to keep getting her period.
Menstruation is a sign that an egg has been released. If there is a disturbance in menstruation, then there may be interference with the egg and ovulation, so that pregnancy becomes difficult.
If women who have weight problems manage to get pregnant, the pregnancy that occurs is more prone to complications, ranging from miscarriage, premature birth, babies born with low or excess weight, to babies born with congenital defects, such as heart defects.
Reasons Weight Can Affect Fertility
Body weight affects fertility through hormone levels. Hormones have an important role in all processes and stages of pregnancy, from the release of an egg, fertilization by sperm, to the development of the fertilized product into a fetus in the uterus.
The following is an explanation why hormonal conditions in women who are overweight or underweight can make it difficult to get pregnant:
The cause of being too fat lowers the chances of getting pregnant
Fat has an important role in the production and storage of reproductive hormones, such as estrogen. Overweight and obese women have higher fat levels. This will cause more estrogen to be formed.
Now, Excessive amounts of estrogen actually interfere with the female reproductive system. That is why, many women who are overweight and obese experience irregular menstruation.
In addition, being overweight can also reduce the success rate of IVF program (in vitro fertilization). In fact, obesity is associated with PCOS, which is one of the causes of decreased fertility in women.
The cause of being too thin makes it difficult to get pregnant
In women who are underweight, too little fat will cause reduced levels of the hormone progesterone and increased levels of the hormone cortisol.
These hormonal changes can make the body feel that it is not in a good and safe condition to get pregnant, so it will ignore the reproductive process and focus more on trying to survive. This situation often occurs in women who experience extreme eating disorders, such as anorexia.
Tips to Increase Your Chances of Getting Pregnant
For those of you who are planning a pregnancy but are overweight or underweight, you should try to reach your ideal weight or BMI before getting pregnant.
To get the ideal body weight, first know if you are in a healthy condition underweight, overweight, or obesity. Next, do a program to lose or gain weight in a healthy way. Don't forget, keep the following things in mind:
- Drink enough water, and limit your intake of sugar and fast food.
- Diligently exercise and be active every day. If possible, try taking a class at the gym.
- Choose healthy snacks, such as fruits and nuts.
- Set reasonable weight loss or gain goals to stay motivated.
Avoid using extreme methods to get the ideal BMI. If you have difficulty losing or gaining weight, or if you don't get pregnant even though your weight is already ideal, don't hesitate to consult a doctor, yes.
The reason is, in addition to weight problems, there may be other factors that make it difficult for you to get pregnant. By consulting a gynecologist, you can find out the cause and get the right solution
