Obesity Can Stop Women Getting Pregnant
Posted: Thursday, 5 November, 2009 | Categories: Obesity
Research has indicated that obesity can severely damage a woman’s chances of having a successful pregnancy.
The researchers at Michigan State University, lead by Barbara Luke, believe that if a women is dangerously overweight it can cause her chances of conceiving and having a successful pregnancy to fall by 28%.
By analysing date from nearly 50,000 women using assisted reproductive technology but the researchers believe the results also apply to women trying to conceive naturally. It was shown that merely being overweight reduced the likelihood of carrying a baby to term by 14%.Obese women who did conceive were more likely to have a pre-term delivery or stillbirth.
Ms. Luke said she was not taken aback by the results. She commented, “The results are not surprising; obesity is a state of inflammation and is not a good environment for conception or foetal development.”
She added that before trying for a baby, women should prepare their bodies before, losing weight if necessary and giving up alcohol and smoking. She said, “The key message is to lose weight, prior to conception, and focus on pre-conception health issues.Once you become pregnant, the baby is developing in that environment.”
Last month she and her team received national recognition for her research, including one of two Scientific Program Prize Paper awards from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The society described her work as an important step in informing patients about their chances of getting pregnant.