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Usually, couples when planning a baby take into account a lot of factors like the ovulation spell, the time it will take to get pregnant, how will the pregnancy proceed, when is the baby likely to be born and so on. One important aspect while preparing to conceive may be the weight factor.
Some women may experience difficulty in conceiving if they happen to be overweight or underweight. Research indicates that women who are obese or underweight may take longer to get pregnant than those who have a healthy weight. Doctors also suggest that chances of diabetes and high blood pressure is greater for overweight women when they conceive.
Therefore, it is essential to attain a healthy weight not only to enhance your chances of getting pregnant but also for the health of the child and to ensure a safe pregnancy. So one question that comes to the mind of all women is, ‘what is the ideal weight to get pregnant?’ There is no specific answer to this question as every woman holds a different Body Mass Index (BMI). Doctors usually recommend that the BMI of women should possibly be between 19 to 25 to have the best chances of conception.
What Role Does Weight Play When It Comes to Conceiving?
Weight plays a predominant role when it comes to getting pregnant as weight influences the functioning of a woman’s body in many ways. Being underweight or being overweight can make getting pregnant harder. In case a woman is underweight or overweight it can negatively impact the hormonal balance in her body thereby making it difficult for her to ovulate and conceive. Studies suggest that underweight, obese or overweight women have greater chances of infertility.
On the other hand, women who have a healthy weight before getting pregnant are likely to experience a better pregnancy, have relatively easy delivery and give birth to healthier babies. They are also less likely to develop gestational diabetes and high blood pressure during their pregnancy.
Ideally, reaching a healthy weight should happen before conception. Doctors don’t recommend losing weight after a woman has conceived. Thus, in case a woman is aspiring to get pregnant and does not possess a healthy weight she should endeavour to attain it during the pre-pregnancy phase.
What If You are Underweight When Trying to Get Pregnant?
A woman may be underweight because of excessive dieting or unhealthy eating habits. Being underweight can negatively affect the mensuration cycle and may make predicting ovulation tough. These factors, in turn, may make conceiving difficult. Also, an underweight woman may be at a greater risk of giving birth to a baby with reduced birth weight.
What If You are Overweight and Trying for a Baby?
According to a research, almost 25 percent of infertility cases related to ovulation can find obesity as one of the causes. Women who are obese or overweight are likely to suffer hormonal imbalances which can lead to irregular menstrual cycles and hamper ovulation. Hormonal imbalances can trigger a medical condition called PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which can further cause weight gain and infrequent ovulation resulting in complications for possible conception. PCOS is also linked to higher androgen levels and lower oestrogen levels which can stop the woman’s ovaries from releasing eggs.
In case an overweight woman becomes pregnant she may be exposed to a higher risk of problems during her pregnancy and also at childbirth. Obese women have more chances of giving birth to a baby by cesarean section. Furthermore, babies of overweight woman are at a developed risk of being born with congenital disorders and higher birth weight.
What is the Healthy Weight for Getting Pregnant?
Women who wish to get pregnant soon are generally concerned about weight. In this respect, it may be important to consider the body mass index (BMI) of a woman to determine the ideal weight before getting pregnant. Usually, a BMI between 19 and 25 may offer the maximum possibilities of getting pregnant. Therefore the minimum weight to get pregnant should lie within this range.
To calculate the BMI of a woman the height in inches and weight in pounds of a woman is measured. The respective measurements are divided. The number is multiplied by 703 to obtain the BMI. It is always desirable to achieve a healthy BMI by eating a balanced diet which may also enhance your odds of conceiving.
Women hopeful of conceiving may like to maintain a healthy BMI and weight to improve their likelihood of getting pregnant. You can always seek your doctor’s advice and guidance to accomplish your ideal weight while trying for a baby.
