Although some women find it easy to get pregnant whenever they wish to have a child, this isn’t always the case. As you probably know, there are many factors that can adversely affect fertility. One of these significant factors to consider is your body mass index or BMI. Having a BMI that’s either too low or too high could make it harder for a woman to become pregnant.
1. BMI Basics
Your BMI is a measurement based on your height and weight that’s used to estimate whether a person is at a healthy weight or over or under that healthy weight range. An adult with a BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight. Having a body mass index of 25 or higher is considered overweight.
While certain factors, such as having a higher or lower percentage of muscle than average, can make it so BMI overestimates or underestimates body fat levels, the measurement still serves as a useful screening tool to identify problems with weight. Doctors typically use BMI as a tool to determine whether further tests are necessary to determine a person’s risk for certain health problems.
2. High BMI and Fertility
One of the more common issues with BMI and fertility is having a high BMI. This typically means that you’re overweight. If you’re choosing MCRM Fertility to help with your infertility issues, this may be one of the factors that will be addressed.
Having too many fat cells may increase the overall amount of estrogen in your body, which could interfere with ovulation. If you don’t have regular periods and are overweight, this could be part of the reason. Having a high BMI could also cause problems with certain infertility treatments, making them less effective. For example, you may need higher levels of medication to stimulate ovulation and may end up with fewer eggs to harvest for use in infertility treatments. These eggs may be of lower quality and may not be as easily fertilized or implanted as well as eggs from a woman with healthier body weight.
3. Low BMI and Fertility
As with having a high BMI, having a low BMI can interfere with a person’s ability to become pregnant. Once again, the issue may be due to estrogen levels. If your BMI is too low, your body may stop producing estrogen. Without estrogen, your body won’t release an egg and, without an egg, you can’t get pregnant. Reaching a healthier weight will help to remedy this problem.
You could also have progesterone levels that are too low or cortisol levels that are too high, both of which can convince your body that you shouldn’t be getting pregnant at this time. If your body weight is too low for releasing an egg, it may also be too low to support a healthy pregnancy.
All this should show you the importance of staying at a healthy weight if you want to get pregnant easily. This means doing your best to follow a healthy diet and exercise plan. If you’re overweight, you may want to start watching what you eat to gradually get down to a healthier weight.
Even a relatively small change can be helpful. You don’t need to reach your ideal weight to improve your chances of conception.
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