Do the chances of conception increase after weight loss?
Last reviewed: 07.06.2024
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If a woman can not get pregnant, and at the same time has a clear overweight, then first of all the doctor advises her to lose weight. But will it help to conceive a baby? Scientists from the University of Virginia Medical Center have expressed their doubts.
Women suffering from any degree of obesity can theoretically have difficulties with conceiving and carrying a child. For this reason, the gynecologist, when giving a consultation on infertility or miscarriage, most often suggests that the patient first normalize her body weight, and only then proceed to treatment. However, such a recommendation has not been scientifically substantiated to date: no full-fledged studies have been conducted on this issue. In their new study, American researchers evaluated the frequency of normal conception and pregnancy in women with and without prior weight loss.
The project was conducted at nine medical centers in the United States. The study involved almost four hundred women who were clearly overweight (body mass index was equal to or greater than 30 kg/m²) and infertile. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups according to the nuances of the new lifestyle, which could affect the results of conception. The first group was offered the following measures: adherence to a special diet, taking medications that activate the process of weight loss, as well as regular exercise. Representatives of the second group had only to increase physical activity, without aiming at weight loss. No dietary adjustments were required in the second group.
In total, the training program lasted four months, after which all participants underwent three consecutive courses of infertility treatment each.
The specialists continued to monitor the women. Among the representatives of the first group (complex approach to weight loss), 23 patients managed to get pregnant and give birth to healthy children. Among the participants of the second group (only physical activity) got pregnant and gave birth to 29 women. By the way, the first group had an average weight loss rate of 7%. The weight of the second group remained practically unchanged.
Experts note: of course, normalization of weight has a positive effect on the general health of a person, reduces the risk of metabolic pathologies, stroke, cardiovascular disorders and so on. However, changes in weight have little effect on fertility, and do not improve the prognosis of giving birth to a healthy child.
Many experts question the results of the study. Perhaps the project was too short, and most of the participants did not manage to lose enough excess weight to affect the likelihood of conception. There are many questions left, so it is still left to await the scientists' answers.
The information was published on the pages of the UVA Health publication UVA Health