Therapist Unlimited Blog

Those women who wish to get pregnant should strive hard not to become obese during this important moment in a women’s life.
This developed after a recent medical findings has shown that obese women are as much as 28 percent less likely to become pregnant and have a successful pregnancy.
The findings was discovered by a Michigan State University professor who even earned a national award for her research.
To get the significant data, Barbara Luke, a researcher in the MSU College of Human Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, studied nearly 50,000 women using assisted reproductive technology.
Based on her study, she found out that women who are simply overweight have a 14 percent less chance of a successful pregnancy.
Luke explained the results are not surprising; obesity is a state of inflammation and is not a good environment for conception or fetal development.

 

 

Those women who wish to get pregnant should avoid getting obese.

 

 

She added the key message is to lose weight, prior to conception, and focus on pre-conception health issues.
Recently Luke was awarded the 2009 Scientific Program Prize Paper for her presentation on maternal obesity research at the 2009 American Society of Reproductive Medicine international meeting in Atlanta.
More than 5,000 experts from around the world attended the meeting, which featured nearly 900 abstracts.
Only two were selected as program prize papers.
As part of the research, Luke’s team looked at the effect increasing body mass index had on a woman’s ability to become pregnant using assisted reproductive technology and how obesity affects pregnancy outcomes. They compared outcomes to women with normal body mass index
(BMI of 18.5-24.9). Women were classified as overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9), Class 1 obesity (30-34.9), Class 2 (35-39.9) and Class 3 (40 or greater).

 

Among her important findings were:

* Women at Class 3 obesity were 35 percent less likely to become pregnant; Class 2 resulted in a 28 percent less chance; 9 percent for Class 1; and 3 percent for overweight women.
* Of the obese women who were able to become pregnant, the odds of stillbirth were increased more than twofold.
* Among live births, the odds of premature birth significantly parallelled increasing obesity: from 16 percent for overweight women to 34 percent for women at Class 3.
Moreover, Luke said those who are thinking about starting a family, must get into the best physical shape possible.
Luke added controlling the factors such as drinking alcohol and smoking can also keep women fit during pregnancy.