Male Obesity Contributes to Fertility Problems

It’s not just overweight women who may face conception problems. According to Australian scientists, desired pregnancy may not be reached due to a man’s weight. It was the first evidence of how a man’s weight is linked to fertility problems.

As a man’s weight increases so his chances of becoming a father decreases. The researchers studied more than 300 couples undergoing IVF treatment. Dr. Hassan Bakos of the University of Adelaide, Australia, said that as parental body mass index increased, successful pregnancy rates plummeted.

Couples involved in the study were either undergoing IVF treatment or an alternative procedure. Almost 80 percent of male participants were either overweight or obese. The man’s weight played no role at the initial phases when embryo develops. However, by day four of embryo cell division, when genetic factors become important, signs of impaired development were found. The evidence suggests that DNA damage and oxidative stress are to blame, according to Dr. Bakos.

So before planning on pregnancy, both partners have to try to make their weight normal to increase their chance of conceiving a baby.

Source of the image: sxc.hu/profile/asifthebes.