Beginning Infertility - While Being Overweight

hoping4miracles · 01-09-2009, 12:50 AM

I am wondering with having PCOS, how much easier is getting pregnant with weight loss? I weigh about 270 lbs, I am beginng to lose and need to keep going. I am about to begin the process of infertility and hoping for a miracle or two...

I have been 180 lbs (early 20s) to 285 (last year) with no pregnancies. I am sooo scared of not being able to get pregnant or having a miscarriage.

My mom, who had fertility problems (not PCOS) had me (her first born in her 40s). Before me there was a miscarriage at six-months, then she had a still born at 8 1/2 mos.

My mom is thin always has been. So I am not sure how much weight really has to do with pregnagncy sucess.

Sinabuns78 · 01-09-2009, 12:55 AM

I hear ya i am in the same boat .....I wonder how much weight loss does play in pregnancy. I heard it helps! I mean let s be honest... losing isnt a bad thing. Especially for you and your baby during pregnancy....I am pushing for March BFP! I joined Weight Watchers so lets see! Good luck to you on your weight loss and mega tons of baby dust to you!

hoping4miracles · 01-09-2009, 01:08 AM

Oh yes, losing is not an option it is a must. My mom suffered a stroke last year and with my family history the weight just puts me at a higher risk. Do not need any more issues, the PCOS is more than enough. Thanks for the encoragement and back at you.

lexibelle · 01-09-2009, 01:27 AM

To be honest, from what I've read and seen losing weight is never a bad idea, however it's not a guarantee that it will help with conception. Losing weight can definitely improve your chances, but depending on how prevalent your symptoms are at a lower weight, it may only help improve your chances in assisted conception (whether alternative or traditional, like Clomid, etc). Honestly, I think it could be dangerous (mostly mentally) to pin your hopes of conception on getting to a certain weight. Unfortunately with PCOS and infertility in general (as your mom shows), body size doesn't always tell whether or not it will be an issue.

Look at it this way, either way losing weight will help your overall help and should, in theory, make your PCOS symptoms a little easier to control. That in and of itself should help your chances of TTC.

That's just my two cents as another Cyster losing weight and hoping to work towards a BFP sometime in the near future.

SandV · 01-09-2009, 08:31 PM

My dr told me even losing 10% if my body weight would help. Since losing it, I do O on my own. Now I just have to time BDing right with having one tube.

Good luck!

RunnerDuck · 01-09-2009, 10:44 PM

There are women who lose weight and don't get pregnant or even have normal cycles. But there are a lot of success stories where women have gotten pregnant after weight loss or dietary changes.

I have had 2 spontanious pregnancies - both after kicking up my exercise routine and cleaning up my eating a little. (One ended in m/c though...)

I am a thinner cyster - I was 180 in 7th grade (yikes) but my adult weight tends to hover in the 140s. I am 5'4 - I think low 130s would be my ideal place... You would never look at me and say "your problems are due to being overweight" - but truth is my eating habits as a rule have been crap. I have had good times and worse times... lately I am doing well!!! Both in terms of eating and exercise. But - no cycles - but I am nursing twins so it's hard to say if it's PCOS or nursing... nursing tends to stop periods. Anyway - even with my looking OK enough and most doctors assuming I was living a good lifestyle - ha! - I wasn't, and my body knew it. Making changes helped me.

I think that at ANY weight, making changes will help your hormones start to balance out. It's not the weight loss so much as the changes - but the weight is something you can see (and feel) so it's an easy way to gauge progress.

I have also read the exercise reduces homocysteine levels - which is one factor in miscarriage - so that's a good perk!

I would focus on exercise and eating real food - think of it as working on your health - not so much as working on your weight. Weight loss should follow and be a perk - but weight alone is not a gauge of how mild or severe your PCOS problems will be.

I'm hoping for one more pregnancy the old fashioned way, through taking charge of my health... and sex, of course...

jeminijad · 01-11-2009, 09:35 PM

For me, I lost 17 lbs (on Metformin, went from 187 to 170) ovulated and conceived. However, I miscarried, and I associate that with the fact that I still wasn't really healthy yet.

Immediately following the miscarriage, I tossed the Met and begain eating really well. Really well meant NO MANUFACTURED FOODS. I juiced fruits/veg. I ate eggs, drank raw milk. I ate whole foods that never went near a factory, mostly as they occur in nature. I didn't lose much more weight but I conceived again on our next "try" and this one is sticking.

So... if you have quite a bit to lose, that is a good goal at first, because the weight is going to cause you problems one way or the other (either actual pregnancy complications or headaches from practitioners telling you to lose weight.) But at least in my case, it was not just the number on the scale. It was realizing that I am a part of nature, and the food chain, and Garbage In = Garbage Out!

Good luck.

dianadaisy · 01-16-2009, 09:40 PM

I have done the treatment thing and the drugs. The only thing left for me to try is the losing the weight thing. You don't know how many times I had this discussion with my doc. About losing weight and I would get pregnant. I don't know how many times I cried and was angry at her for saying this to me. It is hard because you see other overweight women having babies and then you wonder why it is not happening to you.

I just keep thinking...what will it hurt to lose the weight anyway. It will help you be healthy and maybe even more happy. So, when you do have a baby you can be a healthy parent.

Best wishes to you!!!!