Weight loss aids in IVF success

Pregnant lady/freedigitalphotos
Pregnant lady/freedigitalphotos

Around 70% of India’s urban population is obese and more than 10% of couples in the country get affected by infertility due to obesity. Women who are obese are also at a greater risk for pregnancy complications like having a C-section, giving birth to a large baby or even developing gestational diabetes and hypertension.

But do you know losing excess weight before undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment can improve pregnancy and birth outcome. The women with normal weight (BMI below 20) had higher live birth rates (38.6 percent) and embryo implantation (40.4 percent) compared to obese women (BMI above 30 -27.7 percent and 30.9 percent respectively).

A body mass index (BMI) of 19 to 25 is considered to be the ideal weight for conceiving. A healthy body and optimum weight during pregnancy is crucial for having a smooth pregnancy and delivering a healthy child. Dr. Shobha Gupta IVF Expert from Mothers Lap IVF Centre tells about the numerous potential complications for obese women trying to get pregnant.

  • · Lower response to medication used to regulate or initiate ovulation.
  • · Greater need for carefully titrated dosing of medication, especially in patients with polycystic ovaries (PCO).
  • · Greater frequency of over-response and the risk of over-stimulation and / or multiple pregnancies in response to medications used to induce ovulation. And if a multiple pregnancy is conceived, there are greater obstetrical complications in patients with excessive BMI than in multiple pregnancies in patients with a normal BMI.
  • · More complicated IVF cycles (besides those complications listed above) including:
  • · Fewer eggs retrieved
  • · Greater technical difficulty retrieving eggs with greater risk of bleeding or injury
  • · Greater anesthesia risk at the egg retrieval, including maintaining adequate airway, hypertension and aspiration
  • · Greater difficulty with embryo transfer in visualizing the uterus and accomplishing the embryo transfer effectively
  • · Lower embryo implantation rates
  • · Lower IVF success rates

Obesity needs to be managed long-term with a combination of diet, increased activity and lifestyle changes which will automatically increase your chances to get pregnant faster.