Does my body weight have any effect on my ability to get pregnant?

 

By Dr Hugo

Actually it does. The normal body mass index (BMI) for humans is 18.5-24.9. If your BMI is 25 and above, you are classed as clinically obese (or, to be politically correct, overweight). Studies suggest that women who are overweight before pregnancy tend to take twice as much time to get pregnant as those whose pre-pregnancy BMI are within normal limits.

For those who have BMI values below 19, the case is even worse. This set of people have been found to take four times as long to conceive as do those with normal BMI.

Since the BMI is a function of the individual’s weight and height, and since we are better able to modify our weights than our heights, we think it is best if women stay at a healthy weight when trying to conceive.

Bottom line: if you are orobo, lose weight. If you are lekpa, gain weight. If you are like me, keep reading.