Fat Impairs Fertility?
Today’s (March 10) Kuwait Times
Fat lovers face slimmer chance of parenthood
PARIS: Love handles might help couples get a better grip but all that excess fat could dampen their chances of having a baby, a new study has shown. Researchers monitoring nearly 48,000 couples in Denmark between 1996 and 2002 found that when both parents were clinically obese, the risk of waiting more than a year before conceiving nearly tripled. The odds improved somewhat when the prospective parents were simply overweight, but even they had to persist in their efforts longer than their leaner counterparts. Obesity could even have a demographic impact in countries where the problem of fat has taken on epidemic proportions, said the study published this week in the British Journal of Human Reproduction
“If obesity is a cause of sub-fecundity . . . this reduced capacity to reproduce could become a serious health problem.” said lead author Cecilia Ramlau-Hansen, an epidemiologist at Aarhus University in Denmark, in an interview. “The heavier the population gets, the more problems we would see with infertility,” she said. Earlier research had already established a clear link between too much fat and levels of fertility hormones. In women, excess body fat has a negative impact on ovulation and conception; in men, it is linked with decreased semen quality and the level of reproductive hormones.
But this is the first study, which looked at the conception rate among obese couples, who are increasingly common. In the United States, 30 percent of the adults – some 60 million people – are clinically obese, according to the US National Center for Health Statistics. Within certain demographic groups, such as African-Americans, the rate is even higher. In Europe, Britain tops the list with 23%, nearly twice the rate in Germany, where 12% tip the scales into obesity, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The benchmark for obesity is the body-mass index, defined as one’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of one’s height in meters. A BMI from 18.5 up to 25 is considered in the healthy range, from 25 up to 30 is overweight, and 30 or higher is obese. The authors add a word of caution, saying they did not know how often the couples in their study had sex.
“We cannot exclude that infrequent intercourse has delayed conception in overweight and obese couples,” they say, delicately. In other words, more fat may mean less sex . . . so the fertility problem could lie elsewhere.”
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Oh Lord. And I just finished eating a piece of cheesecake to counter the fertility suppressing effects of all the fat-free milk I drink.
fat vs. no-fat: what a dilemma!
It seems to me that thefact that obese people might just have less sex is a critical one, and if so would totally negate the conclusions of that huge study.
So the whole issue might rest on whether they are shier about sex, have a worse self image, are just too tired at the end of the day. Maybe rather than spending huge money to a fertility clinic, they’d be better served spendingit on Weight Watcher’s and a personal trainer
Little Diamond – life is just so unfair sometimes, isn’t it? but wait – another study is probably just around the corner! right now, chocolate is a “health food!” Whoda thunk???
Riannan – I think you have a very good point.
i think everyone should be fat, no more babys is better
Kitty, cool!
Just heard from a friend of mine who does not get her periods regularly, and since she has lost a little weight, it has become more regular… so maybe there is medical link between fat and fertility?
Can’t imagine Fat ppl to be any shier about sex… If one is shy, one is shy! regardless of body weight!