Weight and BMI While Trying to Conceive

• Being overweight or underweight can negatively affect fertility for both men and women.
• Maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI) not only improves fertility; it also helps a woman carry a safe pregnancy.
• We complete a comprehensive workup exploring all factors that could impact fertility, including BMI.
• If you are under or over the recommended BMI range, our first recommendation is to implement a healthy diet and regular exercise to gain or lose weight.
• For patients who need additional support, our medical team has compiled a list of recommended weight loss resources.

If you are looking for natural ways to improve fertility, weight may be a significant opportunity. To maximize your chances for success, we recommend adopting healthy lifestyle habits. If you are considering investing in fertility treatments, we encourage healthy habits regardless of BMI to ensure the greatest chances for a healthy pregnancy.

One of the first steps is to learn what BMI is healthiest for your sex and body. To find out your current BMI, this free BMI calculator will help you find out. The healthiest BMI range for conception is between 19 and 24. If your BMI lands below that range, weight gain can improve fertility. If you land above this range, weight loss can likewise improve your chances of conception. Encouragingly, even a 5-10% decrease in weight (in an overweight individual) can lead to major health changes and a fertility boost.

While BMI looks different for every body type, this is the simplest way to evaluate weight. Your fertility physicians can provide more personalized weight recommendations as needed. Weight is very personal, and its impact varies greatly for each patient. For these reasons, we do a comprehensive workup exploring all factors that could impact fertility.

We also encourage both partners to have a primary care doctor and an awareness of family health history concerning diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol.

Women who are underweight or overweight may experience difficulty becoming pregnant, as weight can interfere with normal ovulatory function. To maximize your chances of conception and live birth, it is ideal to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. This increases the success of natural conceptions and fertility treatments.

An unhealthy weight can contribute to:

• Menstrual disorders
• Ovulatory disorders
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
• Resistance to fertility medication
• Menstrual disorders

The next fertility issue linked to BMI is menstrual disorders. Being underweight commonly causes irregular or missing periods. Being overweight may cause painful or heavy bleeding during a period. These conditions are known as oligomenorrhea, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia. Because these complications prevent a healthy menstrual cycle, they increase the difficulty of achieving a healthy pregnancy.

Ovulatory disorders

The most common of these issues to impact fertility is ovulatory disorders. Such disorders cause either oligo-ovulation, an irregular release of an egg, or anovulation, no release of an egg. Ovulatory disorders include thyroid dysfunction and premature ovarian failure. Women with a BMI under 18 or over 29 should schedule a thorough hormonal evaluation to check ovulation. Please note, women with a BMI over 30 who have normal ovulation cycles still have lower pregnancy rates and higher rates of loss and complications.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome

PCOS is a condition where small cysts develop along a woman’s ovaries. While PCOS is considered an ovulatory disorder, its impact goes beyond ovulation. It negatively affects fertility by causing irregular ovulation and menstruation, hormonal imbalances, insulin resistance and high androgen levels.

One symptom of PCOS is weight gain and resistance to weight loss. Weight gain increases the impact and symptoms of PCOS, however. If you have PCOS and weight loss seems unattainable, your fertility physician can discuss cyst aspirations with you to remove the ovarian cysts.

Lower success with fertility medication & treatment

Compared to women with a healthy BMI, a woman with a higher BMI going through fertility treatment requires higher doses of gonadotropins. Overweight women also experience lower fertilization rates and produce poorer quality embryos.

Gradual, sustained weight loss provides the most benefit for fertility treatment. In one study, researchers found that women across all BMI categories benefited from moderate physical activity with improved time to pregnancy.

Our BMI Requirements

At Carolina Conceptions, women with a BMI over 42 are not candidates for fertility treatment and are encouraged to consider a weight loss program or bariatric surgery as advised by their physician. Women must have a BMI under 37 to be eligible for in vitro fertilization (IVF), donor egg recipiency and donor embryo recipiency.

Men who are underweight or overweight can have fertility issues, largely associated with changes in testosterone levels. Men should aim for a BMI between 19 and 25.

An unhealthy weight can contribute to:

• Poor sperm production
• Erectile dysfunction (ED)

Sperm production

Men with a BMI outside of the recommended range may see a negative impact on sperm production. In underweight and overweight men, testosterone may decrease and cause low sperm concentration and motility. A higher weight can also increase the temperature of the scrotum, thus reducing sperm quality. Estrogen levels may also rise, which lowers the sperm count.

Erectile dysfunction

Men who are overweight are more likely to experience ED. High BMI alone can cause ED, but it can also cause additional issues. Weight can contribute to conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Each condition can independently cause ED, too.

Our BMI Requirements

Male partners do not have a BMI cutoff. However, we may recommend using a sperm donor in necessary cases.

Betr Health of Raleigh

Phone: (919) 324-0887
“Stop Dieting & Start Healing” with Dr. William Ferro. Great success with PCOS, diabetes, digestion, hypertension and weight loss. A personal, remote, health concierge maps out a customized trial week of the Betr method eating plan paired with all-natural supplements to support digestion, support metabolism and reduce cravings. Call for a trial week.

WellLife Wellness of Chapel Hill

Phone: (919) 423-2005
“Nutritional Education & Results-Driven Weight Loss” with Katy Harris. Katy offers 8 and 12 week programs to help you reach your nutritional goals and works in exercise after you start seeing success with nutrition. Katy was retired founder Dr. Grace Couchman’s personal trainer. No supplements or intense workouts.

Total Healthcare MD of Cary

Phone: (919) 436-3777
“Physician Supervised Medical Wellness & Weight Loss Clinic” covered by insurance. Customized lifestyle modification programs focused on healthy eating and more. The first visit is free.

REX Bariatric Surgery of Raleigh

Phone: (919) 784-7874
Surgical weight loss options with educational resources before and after surgery including private counseling and group support, along with healthy cooking demonstrations.