Does Weight Affect Your Fertility?
Ever wondered if your weight determines your ability to get pregnant? Well, here it is, if you’re looking to conceive in the near future, start paying close attention to your diet and exercise habits since the right habits can boost your fertility. People whose weight falls outside of what is considered healthy for their height may have fewer chances of conceiving. Having a healthy weight is imperative to have a healthy baby. Being overweight affects the quality of eggs and sperms and being underweight does not optimise your fertility either.
The reason is pretty simple. In women, it can cause hormonal imbalances which can affect a woman’s menstrual cycle and the quality of her eggs. Excess weight also prevents fertility treatments from working. In men, unhealthy weight can impede the quality of sperms compared to men of a healthy weight and can cause erection problems. It is also known to affect men’s and women’s libido.
To determine your ideal weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) is used. It calculates whether you’re a healthy weight for your height. It offers an index range for normal weight, overweight or obese and underweight. A healthy BMI is considered to be anywhere between 18.5 and 25. Therefore, it’s important to keep a track of BMI when you’re looking to become parents.
While the facts about the close relationship between weight and fertility can be daunting, the good news is that by making some positive changes to your lifestyle by eating healthy meals and exercising regularly, you can improve your chances of pregnancy. Losing even a few kilos can help aid the process. It is however important to mention that restricting food intake and fasting can negatively affect the foetus. Hence, it is said that men and women increase their chances by two times just by making a conscious and positive change in their behaviours together. So parenthood is more likely if couples diet and exercise together.
To know more on what diet plan should be adopted, consult our doctors at ZIVA.
