Leanness Prevents Conception

The doctors call the weight, which is far from the norm, one of the factors that prevent conception. However, scientists have found that extreme thinness does more harm to our fertility than obesity.

In recent years, there has been a constant struggle with the excess weight, the nutritionists have insisted that extra weight, in addition to other health problems and appearance, leads to difficulties in conceiving. However, these risks have never been compared with those of underweight women.

The study conducted by the American scientists showed that thin women are less likely to become pregnant than those, who are overweight, and even obese.

During the study, 2,500 women (who were trying to conceive with the help of IVF at the Fertility Center of Chicago) were divided into three groups according to their weight: very thin, normal, and obese. During eight years, though at different periods, these women were observed in the center and were trying to get pregnant.

As a result, those who belonged to the group with normal weight, got pregnant in 50% of cases. Among obese women, 45% became pregnant, and only 34% of very thin women from the group were able to conceive.

Very thin women were those with the body mass index (BMI) ranging from 14 to 18. For example, a woman with the height of 162.5 cm and the weight of 44.45 kg could have such a BMI (BMI 17).

It is known that thin women have a reduced amount of the female hormone estrogen which is often associated with infertility among excessively thin women. However, this study considered only the women, who were undergoing the IVF procedure, and all their hormones were brought back to norm. The women from all three groups produced the same number of ovules, and the problem with the conception happened at a later stage, when the fertilized ovule was implanted in the uterus. The embryo finds it more difficult to penetrate into the uterus of very thin women. That is the verdict of the scientists.

Source of the image: Photl.