Obesity will fuel infertility crisis

[AB Asks]

Ever increasing levels of obesity in the Western world are going to have serious repercussions on women's fertility doctors have warned. One expert has said that over the next decade the number of women seeking fertility treatment could double. Obesity affects the ability to get pregnant and if an obese woman gets medical help to become pregnant, her pregnancy is more likely to then have problems due to her weight. What do you think? Should women be forced to get down to a healthy weight before being offered fertility treatments?

[Ethel]

Women already have to meet weight criteria to get fertility treatment.

Doesn't explain all the very large women with very large families, does it?

[Octavius]

Initial treatment of the infertile, overweight/obese patient should include a multidisciplinary approach to weight management that fosters lifestyle change through proper diet, exercise, behaviour modification and stress reduction in concert with pharmacological approaches (e.g. Metformin) when required.

By providing a more holistic approach to obesity and reproductive health preconceptually, this would enable a powerful impact on patients by enhancing their chances of conception (natural or otherwise), achieving a healthy obstetric outcome and possibly enhancing their overall health, for the long term.

Step 1 and 2, should form part of the pre-planning approach to potential fertility but not necessarily a burden on the NHS. Also, this should be implicit as much for the hopeful fathers as well as the hopeful mothers if they are medically obese.

[Goodsoulette]

Is it really a fertility crisis. Dont you think infertility is a way of nature keeping the population down and doctors shouldnt be fiddling around with this.

Ethels right you would definitely have to be a healthy weight before getting fertility treatment. Womens periods stop at weights that are dangerously low or high.