The body mass index (BMI) is a measure of weight that takes height into consideration to estimate whether you are underweight, of normal weight, overweight, obese or morbidly obese. If you are overweight, you may have more trouble becoming pregnant, even with the aid of infertility treatment.
Anovulation
Anovulation is when a females eggs are not released. Being overweight or underweight interferes with the normal production of hormones which cause ovulation. Pregnancy cannot occur without an egg to be fertilized. In the underweight or overweight, menstruation may cease or may occur in the absence of ovulation. Women who have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are more likely to be overweight and anovulatory.
Medication
Overweight women may not respond as well to medications used in infertility treatment as normal weight women, resulting in fewer pregnancies. They may require higher doses of certain medications, which may increase side effects.
Complications
When women are overweight, there may be an increased risk for surgical procedures that are a part of infertility treatment; anesthesia, for example, carries a greater risk for overweight women. Certain laparoscopic procedures may not be possible on overweight women. When a women who is overweight does become pregnant, she has a higher risk of miscarriage and other complications of pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. If the woman has other factors which also predispose her to complications or miscarriage, she may be deemed an inappropriate candidate for infertility treatment.
Egg Retrieval
In many types of infertility treatment, medications are given to stimulate a woman to produce an egg. Using a syringe, this egg is then retrieved from the woman's body and fertilized. In the case of an overweight woman, it may be impossible to reach the ovary safely with a syringe to retrieve the eggs. Additional weight can also make it difficult to visualize the ovary and egg follicles with ultrasound, making an egg retrieval procedure difficult, if not impossible.
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