Weight affects pregnancy. Ideal weight for conceiving a child

Hello again, dear followers! Today, as always, we will touch on a very important and necessary topic. How does being overweight affect fertility? Moreover, there are more than enough statements on this score. Can the excessive fullness of future parents really become an obstacle for them on the way to replenishing the family? That is what we will find out with you now!

What is "ideal weight"

Do you consider yourself or your partner overweight? If so, does this fact interfere with your life? Of course, excess fat mass(and now we are talking about it, and not about the muscles!) Will not bring anything good to your life. And even more so, it will not be able to have a beneficial effect on the body.

In men, like overweight women, it can become an obstacle in the process of conceiving a baby. Let's find out how to detect the problem of extra pounds, and how to assess the degree of its "severity".

There is a special body mass index (BMI), which indicates the ratio of height and weight at all stages: deficiency, norm, preobesity and obesity. With the help of this tablet, you can easily calculate your BMI and determine the optimal weight for your height, so you can find out deviations from the norm.

If the problem still exists, of course, it is better to consult with specialists and choose a diet, as well as a set of physical exercises.

The main thing is not to "improvise" so as not to harm your body. An experienced doctor will tell you how to lose weight, how to eat right and will be able to answer all your questions.

Conception and overweight: fact or fiction


Of course, if you have extra pounds, this does not mean at all that you are infertile. However, scientists have long proven the fact that unhealthy fullness is the cause of a significant deterioration in fertility.

Of course, fullness as such does not affect the reproductive function, but it has a detrimental effect on the body. Therefore, it is more difficult for “lush” women to get pregnant (problems with the menstrual cycle, the development of infertility, etc.) and it is rather difficult to bear a baby (there is a risk of miscarriage, various complications of pregnancy, etc.).

The same applies to men! Statistics show that almost half of the cases of infertility in our strong half of humanity is accompanied by obesity of one degree or another.

Also, excess weight reduces the quantity and quality of sperm. In addition, large men can suffer from impotence, diabetes, and heart disease. All this hinders their ability to conceive.

How to lose weight or the basics of an ideal diet

So, let's assume that there is a problem with weight. The question arises: how to lose weight? Lead physical form in order and increase the chances for conception you will help proper nutrition.

In order to "kill two birds with one stone", you will need to adhere to the so-called "menu for conception." This is a balanced set of products that will significantly help improve reproductive function and overall health.


What is included in this menu?

  • Avocado is one of best products for expectant mothers. With Vitamin E, this product helps regulate menstrual cycle and ovulation.
  • Spinach (like other greens) is an excellent source of folic acid, which optimizes sperm production, egg production, and prevents clogged fallopian tubes.
  • Well-known oysters are a natural source of zinc. Which, as you know, helps to accelerate the mobility of a fertilized egg.
  • Whole is a storehouse of vitamin B, which contributes to the production of estrogen, which is necessary for reproductive function.
  • Carrots and the beta-carotene they contain help increase sperm count (in men) and fight problems endocrine system(among women).
  • Among other things, foods high in sulfur and selenium, such as eggs, shrimp, squid, or goose liver, will help stimulate both male and female fertility.

Well, my dears, that's all. I hope you have received comprehensive information on a given topic. Feel free to leave comments. Tell your friends and don't forget to subscribe to my blog.

All healthy kids - strong men!

Excess weight does not just cause discomfort and aesthetic inconvenience. Often it causes problems with conception.

Many people wonder how excess weight affects the conception of a child in women. Every unnecessary kilogram negatively affects general state health is a prerequisite for serious illnesses. Extra pounds interfere with conception, negatively affecting the menstrual cycle.

Excess weight prevents a woman from getting pregnant because adipose tissue is hormonally active. It produces estrogens (sex hormones).

As the amount of fat increases, the level of hormones increases, and "a lot" becomes the exact opposite of the concept of "good." In 25% of cases of infertility in the family, the cause is obesity in a man.

In men

Additional kilos have a detrimental effect on the ability to produce offspring in men as well. Overweight and conception are two related concepts in the field of male fertility. Unnecessary kilograms lead to a decrease in the normal number of spermatozoa, impair their motility, because adipose tissue is an endocrine organ that produces estrogens. An excess of these hormones contributes to the formation of a small number of male germ cells. Medicine has established that excess weight in men reduces the chances of conceiving a child.

Among women

Increased body weight prevents a woman from becoming pregnant. In a full lady, pregnancy occurs 30% less often than in a girl with a normal weight.

Such representatives of the beautiful half of humanity often risk abortion - spontaneous miscarriage occurs in the first trimester.

Fat girls who are in an interesting position are often prone to the following diseases:

  • diabetes;
  • hypertension;
  • violations of kidney function.

With increased body weight, the contractile activity of the uterus is impaired and it is much more difficult to give birth naturally. Preferably for obese patients C-section. To diagnose the condition, a woman needs to consult with a reproductive specialist and nutritionist.

Effect of adipose tissue on hormones

Fat cells play a significant role in the hormonal regulation of the menstrual cycle. In obese girls, the level of male hormones is almost three times higher than normal. As a result, women are often unable to conceive, their menstrual cycle is disturbed, and male pattern hair is observed.

The first menstruation in girls occurs when the mass of fat cells reaches required level. This happens during puberty.

The early onset of menstruation in a girl is a “bell” about extra kilos in the future.

Favorable weight before pregnancy

Excess body fat, as well as insufficient, can be the cause of failure to conceive. Therefore, childbearing is only one of the problems caused by extra pounds. There is such a thing as a favorable weight, in which men and women will “make” a child without any problems (if there are no other violations).

male weight

We will pay due attention to how excess weight affects conception in representatives of the strong half of humanity. It is a mistake to believe that unnecessary kilograms male body does not affect fertility in any way.

Excess body weight is a significant obstacle to childbearing: the amount of sperm and sperm motility are reduced. Extra pounds negatively affect the hormonal background. Fat deposited on the abdomen overheats the scrotum, which is detrimental to sperm. Men with large body weight in 95% of cases experience erectile dysfunction.

According to statistics, in half of infertile couples, a man has an extra 10-15 kilograms.

Female weight

It is impossible to name what the ideal weight for girls should be, since each has a different body mass index (BMI - the ratio of body weight and human height). It is he who is the determining factor in the question: how to get pregnant with excess weight?

Gynecologists advise girls to keep a BMI between 19 and 25. You should think about this in advance - establish proper nutrition, resume sports, and if necessary, consult a nutritionist.

How to get pregnant with fullness

If you have unnecessary kilograms, how to successfully get pregnant with excess weight? First of all, contact a specialist who will determine the BMI and make some recommendations. To conceive a baby, you need to normalize the weight, since excess weight affects conception negatively.

Pregnancy is perhaps the most valid reason to think about your own weight. Because usually, after watching TV programs, we experience different complexes: someone considers himself too full, someone is unbearably thin.

When you are planning to get pregnant, it is better not to listen to television advisers. Just common sense and doctor's advice. If the doctor said that we happy pregnancy you need to sit on a diet a little, we obey and sit down. On a diet, of course. If he is convinced that you are too thin to conceive, and your reproductive organs are small for the birth of a child, we carry out prevention. But mother nature is wiser than us. Among my friends there were both very magnificent girls, and very graceful ones - both of them have been happy mothers of daughters and sons for several years now. So get upset ahead of schedule to nothing. We'll get ready.

What is the ideal weight for conception?

There is an interesting technique for determining weight. The index will help determine the optimal weight, or rather the ratio of height and weight. And it is easy to calculate it using the formula: body weight (kg) must be divided by the square of your height in meters. Remember from math? A square, the second power, is a number multiplied by itself. If the index value is in the range of 25-29 units, the doctor is right: it's time for a diet. There is a slight excess of weight. Obesity can be stated only for those whose index exceeds 30. For those mothers who consider themselves thin, we inform you: when the weight index is 18.5 - 24, the weight is considered normal. And, in principle, there should be no problems with conceiving and bearing a child.

Ideal weight according to WHO

In general, the above methodology is very similar to that proposed by the World Health Organization. According to their method, with an index less than 16, we can talk about a weight deficit, and even if the values ​​\u200b\u200breach 18.49, the situation is not much better. Ideally, we can talk about normal weight if the index is greater than 18.5 and less than 25. Obesity is divided into several degrees using this method, and the most critical situation is if the index is greater than 40.

The effect of being overweight on the ability to conceive

If a large or small weight meant a 100% diagnosis, it would be terrible. But if a woman decides to give birth to a child and is ready for small feats for this, doctors will help her. She will almost certainly be able to carry a child. It is no coincidence that psychologists say: many diseases are in our heads. There are also the strengths for the realization of our goals and dreams.

Does weight affect fertility? medical term- fertility)? In general, no. Although it adds difficulties with bearing a child.
If it were only a matter of weight ... But still, it’s worth listening to the opinion of doctors. It is said that when you are overweight, your body produces more estrogen than you normally need. Actually, this can cause problems during conception. If you take care of yourself, your health internal organs- your chances of getting pregnant are the same as the rest. It is believed that polycystic disease is a common disease with excess weight. But if you take care of your health, everything will be fine.

Underweight and infertility

Being underweight and having a fragile physique also puts you at risk. And the risk of infertility in this case is also high. Experts believe that an excessively low body mass index is almost synonymous with infertility. But we will not bring our body to extremes. Knowing this, long before the onset of pregnancy, this should be taken care of. It is worth being examined, to find the causes of weight loss. Perhaps, with a competent approach, under the guidance of a doctor, this problem can also be overcome and increase your chances of bearing a healthy child.

Ideal weight for conception in men?

Most often, women are concerned about their weight. Yes, and researchers mainly conduct research on the women's problem. But it turns out that excess or deficiency of weight in men may well be the cause of infertility in this pair.

With obesity in men, metabolic disorders also occur, the quantity and quality of sperm decreases. Fat in the abdomen is especially dangerous. They claim that it leads to overheating of the scrotum. And this adversely affects the mobility of spermatozoa. Thus, any excess or deficiency is immediately reflected in our hormonal balance. Therefore, if the spouses decide to have a child, both will have to take care of themselves and put their health in order.

Our expert - endocrinologist, candidate of medical sciences Irena Ilovayskaya.

Excess weight, as you know, is rarely a problem of a purely aesthetic nature. As a rule, it also causes health problems. It is absolutely known that excess body weight provokes diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases. And it also affects female reproductive functions: in particular, the menstrual cycle and gestation.

Hormonal disharmony

The adipose tissue of a woman is hormonally active: here the female sex hormones estrogens are produced.

So, the more fat, the higher the level of sex hormones. In this case, "a lot" does not mean "good".

There is such a wise ancient Chinese saying: "You can not bite off more than you can swallow." Estrogens in our body must be balanced by progesterone, and it is produced in adipose tissue to a lesser extent - this causes a hormonal imbalance. And this is a risk factor for the occurrence of infertility, as well as gynecological diseases, including very severe ones.

The onset of pregnancy can also be seriously hampered by an excess of testosterone, a male hormone that is produced in a certain amount in female body. This hormone exists in two forms: in a "free" form and associated with a protein, and only the free fraction of testosterone is biologically active. Proteins (globulins) produced in the liver are involved in the process of its binding. Under the influence of excess weight, this body begins to produce less proteins. As a result, the gonads and adrenal glands synthesize a normal amount of the hormone, but due to the lack of globulin, free testosterone is more than necessary. Here again, hormonal imbalance and problems with conception.

By the way, the “culprits” of infertility can be extra pounds not only of the wife, but also of the husband. If overweight women have an excess of testosterone, then overweight men have a lack of it. It leads to violations of spermatogenesis at quite normal potency. Therefore, an overweight man is quite capable of being a husband, but becoming a father is much more difficult for him.

In a woman, hormonal imbalances can manifest themselves in the form of cycle disorders, or they can be invisible. Gynecologists conducted special examinations of obese women whose critical days came on time, and found that their progesterone concentration was still much lower than that of women with normal weight.

When it is not possible to get pregnant naturally, many couples decide on IVF - and in this case, excess weight is also very disturbing. Attempts at such fertilization in magnificent ladies end in success in a smaller percentage of cases (and this percentage is not very large anyway), and they also require more serious hormonal preparation.

Figures and facts

Some women are hard to convince that their problems with pregnancy are due to being overweight. They say: “I don’t have obesity, I’m just big ...” But there is an objective indicator - body mass index (calculated by the formula: weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters). An index of 25-30 does not yet indicate obesity, only some overweight. But the trouble is that reproductive dysfunctions begin already with a BMI of 25-26, and as the numbers increase, the risk of infertility increases.

According to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Russian medical academy graduate education, of all women who see doctors for infertility, 40% are overweight. Probably, such figures are also relevant for other countries, because obesity is considered an epidemic of the 21st century. The number of fat people in developed countries is also growing - and with it, the percentage of couples who fail to conceive a child is growing. In terms of infertility figures, Russia has now come close to a critical point: a little more, and this will become not only a medical, but also a serious demographic problem.

Yes, there are women, even very full ones, who nevertheless become pregnant. But not because of being overweight, but in spite of it.

For problems with conception, it is not so important whether a woman has gained excess weight in childhood or only recently.

What matters is how quickly she manages to lose weight when she decides to prepare for motherhood. After all, the longer the “experience” of excess weight, the more difficult it is to get rid of it and the stronger the temptation to do this with the help of starvation diets and other abuse of the body. And in this case, it is especially important to lose weight not at any cost, but physiologically, with the help of proper nutrition and reasonable physical activity. These skills will be very useful after the conception of a long-awaited baby - those who are prone to being overweight have a much higher risk of gaining weight during pregnancy. After all, while a woman is expecting a baby, she develops reduced sensitivity to insulin, which creates serious prerequisites for gaining excess weight. So those who have lost weight and become pregnant need to behave especially wisely!

Not tactics, but strategy!

Of course, it is desirable not just to “lose” a little, but to bring your weight to the norm calculated by physicians. But often, in order for pregnancy to become possible, it is enough to lose at least a little weight. Studies prove that in 80% of women who have lost at least 10% of weight, reproductive function improves even without additional treatment!

By the way, about the treatment. Even if a full woman becomes pregnant under the influence of potent hormonal drugs, but will not lose weight, she may have problems with the formation of the fetus and bearing the baby.

It is known that for pregnant women with overweight, the risks of developing intrauterine anomalies in a child are 2-3 times higher. At the same time, the detection of malformations is difficult purely physically, because it is very difficult to conduct ultrasound diagnostics with a large layer of fat. This means that you can miss some serious problems and not prepare to provide adequate assistance to the baby at birth.

Do you consider yourself or your partner overweight? If so, does this fact interfere with your life? Of course, excess fat mass (and now we are talking about it, and not about muscles!) Will not bring anything good to your life, and even more so, it will not be able to have a beneficial effect on the body.

In men, like overweight women, it can become an obstacle in the process of conceiving a baby. First, let's find out how to detect the problem of extra pounds, and how to assess the degree of its "severity".

There is a special table of body mass index (BMI), which indicates the ratio of height and weight at all stages: deficiency, norm, pre-obesity and obesity. With the help of this tablet, you can easily calculate your BMI and determine the optimal weight for your height, so you can find out deviations from the norm.

If the problem still exists, of course, it is better to consult with specialists and choose a diet, as well as a set of physical exercises.

A healthy body with a normal metabolism contributes to the fact that reproductive system functions without interruption.

Experts explain the relationship between infertility and excess weight as follows: in women without extra pounds, estrogen production occurs without strong fluctuations, which contributes to normal ovulation, accelerated egg fertilization and pregnancy.

But it happens that the metabolism is slowed down, then the production of estrogen takes place spasmodically. This causes immunological disorders, which in turn prevent natural process conception: a fertilized egg cannot implant in the endometrium.

As for male infertility, in half of the cases it is also associated with excess weight, since excess lipids in 25% of men provoke azoospermia.

In addition, in women, excess weight is dangerous for disorders that can cause a miscarriage in the first trimester: a decrease in the level of blood clotting, placental abruption, etc. Such abnormalities can be easily detected using simple blood tests and therapeutic methods that support the development of pregnancy.

In many cases, extra pounds impede blood flow and cause congestion, leading to pelvic diseases that compromise the female reproductive system.

According to prenatal medicine professionals, one of the first approaches to this problem is to control your weight.

The main causes of excess weight during pregnancy

This unpleasant phenomenon can occur for a variety of reasons, however, overeating is the most common. In the human brain there is a hypothalamus - this is a special center that is responsible for regulating the feeling of hunger.

As a result of the fact that a person constantly overeats, there is a failure in the proper functioning of the hypothalamus. Consequently, the body begins to require the intake of significantly larger portions of food in order for a feeling of fullness to come.

Also during pregnancy, excess weight can also appear as a result of a woman leading a sedentary lifestyle. This can also occur due to the presence of a genetic predisposition or in the event of violations in the endocrine system.

During pregnancy, the optimal weight gain is 9-15 kilograms. In the event that the expectant mother suffers from being overweight, then the allowable increase should be no more than 10 kg, if there is such unpleasant disease, as obesity, the maximum increase is 6 kg, but no more.

If the weight gain is more than one kilogram per week, or there is complete absence in weight gain for two weeks, then you should immediately seek help from an experienced doctor, as this indicates a malfunction in the body.

For example, if the total weight gain during pregnancy is divided into several stages, then it will look something like this - during the first trimester it will be about 1.5 kg, during the second 5 kg, and in the third 4 kg.

But, at the same time, it is worth considering the fact that weight gain in each case will proceed strictly on an individual basis. Provided there is a slight deviation in the increase from the optimal weight (two or three kg), there is no danger either to the health of the future mother or to the baby.

At the same time, there is a category of pregnant women who should not only independently count the gained kilograms, but also take any action. This category may include women who are overweight, as well as those who are underweight.

In the first case, it is necessary to significantly reduce the number of calories consumed, and in the second, increase their number. Most often, the second category includes young girls who will soon become mothers, but at the same time their bodies still continue to grow and need additional calories.

  1. Having extra pounds during pregnancy, weight can also increase from hormonal changes, which occurred actually because of the pregnancy itself. As you know, a violation of the level of hormones in the body almost always contributes to the appearance of additional kilograms.
  2. During pregnancy, especially with excess weight, it becomes quite difficult to move a lot and often walk. That is why, a sedentary way of life leads to an even greater appearance of extra pounds.
  3. Women who are carrying a child have a very good appetite. Depending on the fact that the baby can become more and more, the appetite will only improve. In addition, often pregnant women always want harmful and high-calorie foods, which in itself contribute to the accumulation of excess fat.

This process is characterized by increased body weight resulting from fat deposits. This type of human tissue is present not only in the area of ​​physiological deposits, but also on the abdomen, in the mammary glands, and also on the thighs.

This disease can be divided into various degrees, depending on the amount of this type of tissue. The disease is also divided into certain types, to which their causes are related. This dangerous condition gradually increases the chance of developing diabetes.

It contributes to the occurrence of hypertension, as well as other diseases, the appearance of which is affected by excess weight. The reasons why unhealthy fat gain appears also affect its further distribution, as well as characteristics.

Causes that provoke the appearance of this type of connective tissue

This dangerous condition may result from:

  • imbalance between energy expended and food taken; as a result of this process, much less energy is spent compared to its received amount;
  • malfunction of the system of the liver, pancreas, thick, as well as small intestine;
  • the presence of a certain genetic disorder in the body.

Predisposing moments of this condition:

  • consumption of sugary drinks in excess;
  • reduced motor activity;
  • having a diet rich in sugar;
  • some genetic abnormalities, in particular an increased process of synthesis of certain acids;
  • reduced activity of splitting fats;
  • chronic sleep deprivation;
  • consumption of excess carbohydrate food;
  • susceptibility to stress;
  • the presence of hypothyroidism, as well as hypogonadism;
  • the use of certain psychotropic drugs;
  • the presence of a psychological disorder affecting the eating disorder.

It should be noted that the process of accumulation of nutrients is due to the evolutionary level of development. It allows you to make a certain reserve, which can be spent during a period of food shortage. This property of the organism allows a person to survive under certain conditions.

The influence of viruses on the appearance of excess body weight

Experts have found that the appearance of adenovirus-36 in the human body helps to start the process of transformation of certain stem cells into fat cell structures. At the same time, cells that were not affected by this virus retained their design unchanged.

Classification

The World Health Organization in 1997 made a proposal to classify the levels of obesity, and as a basis to take the value described below as the body mass index (BMI). It was decided to apply the presented indicator to individuals from 18 to 65 years old.

You can calculate it if you take body weight in kg and divide by height in cm squared. Based on the BMI values, there are the following variations in the stages of obesity and their respective complications that may accompany.

BMI (degrees):

  • A value from 18.5 to 24.9 (normal) - indicates the optimal body weight. With this BMI, the least complications occur;
  • The indicators following them up to the mark 29.9 (overestimated) - reports an excess of the weight category and signals possible obesity;
  • Accordingly, an increase to a level of 34.9 (high) indicates stage I obesity;
  • The numbers following up to 39.9 (very high) - indicates the II degree of excess weight;
  • Over the mark 40 (excessively high) - indicates an excess of body weight of the III degree.

With a BMI value of 29.9 or more, obesity is diagnosed, which calls for a specialized study of the causes and planning of therapeutic measures for a particular person.

If we compare the optimal weight and the real one, then each degree of obesity can be expressed in terms of the percentage of excess body weight.

  • I degree - excess weight is kept at the level of 29.9%;
  • II degree - the excess is 30-49.9%;
  • III degree - body weight exceeds the optimal indicators by half;
  • IV degree - overweight exceeds the ideal value by 2 or more times.

Distinguish features obesity by types of involvement of areas and zones of fat deposits:

  • Abdominal (android) - with this type of fat is located mainly in the upper half of the body with the capture of the abdomen, such a figure is often described as an apple. The male type of obesity is the most dangerous, because fat accumulates around the organs, which leads to the initial destabilization of blood pressure, diabetes, there is a risk of developing heart pathologies and impaired cerebral circulation.
  • The lower view is characterized by massive fat deposits in the projection of the buttocks and thighs, which deforms the body in a pear-shaped type. The standard female character of being overweight, affecting vertebral discs and large joints, there is an excessive load on the venous blood flow in the legs.
  • Intermediate type (mixed) - fat deposits are evenly distributed throughout the body.

The formulation and diagnosis of obesity is also classified according to the degrees of progress:

  • Progressive form - there is an increase in body fat and gradually increasing excess weight.
  • The stable nature of the disease determines the permanent boundaries of the weight category.
  • Residual obesity is a contrasting increase in fat mass after significant weight loss.

It is also worth dividing obesity according to the etiology of occurrence and the mechanics of formation:

  • Initial obesity develops with an increased calorie content of the diet and low energy consumption. This obesity is called exogenous, that is, associated with a nutritional factor. Fat deposits are formed due to the high consumption of carbohydrate and fatty foods, violations of portioned nutrition and overeating in the evening. This type of nutrition is hereditary. More weight gain contributes to the calories contained in fats. Therefore, if the intake of such calories exceeds their expenditure, fat is deposited. Low physical activity also contributes to the deposition of fats and reduces the ability to split them.
  • Secondary weight gain is due to damage to structures located in the brain and is only a concomitant symptom of another pathology. Therefore, obesity is often formed in pathologies such as: Laurence-Moon-Barde-Biedl and Zhelino syndromes, Babinski-Frelich disease. Also, patients with mental disorders, TBI, with neoplasms in the brain area, as well as in the presence of diseases of the endocrine system.