Fertility & Weight
Often if we go to the GP about fertility, especially is we have PCOS or are overweight, they recommend weight loss. Often pre-fixed with a ‘just’.
But to ‘just lose weight’ is not that simple.
We know why the doctors recommend it: the evidence base shows that even a 5% weight loss does improve the chances of becoming pregnant. The recommendation of 5% weight loss is thought to be an achievable goal; for example for a woman who is 5’5 and weighs 82.5kg, you would be recommended to lose 4.1kg. Which does sound like much. However, if you have ever struggled with body weight, body dysmorphia, yo-yo dieting, disordered eating, or hormone related weight change, you may know that 4.1kg can suddenly seem huge.
The impact of this recommendation can be detrimental, if not handled sensitively and compassionately, especially to mental wellbeing. It is well known that people in larger bodies report a higher level of humiliation and discomfort in medical settings, and this is experienced during pregnancy care too. This reiterates that though weight discussions should not be avoided, they should be handled with care, and weight itself should not always be the primary focus.
Just because weight loss has been the measure to compare fertility to, it does not mean that it is the ‘be-all-and-end-all’. There are many other factors we can monitor and use as goals to improve our fertility, and much of the time if improvements are made to the quality of diet, and understanding what the body needs, weight loss occurs naturally as a consequence.
Non-weight dietary changes to consider include:
Increasing your fruit and vegetable intake - aim to get your 5-a-day, because having a greater variety and quantity of fruit and vegetables means having a greater variety and quantity of important vitamins and minerals. Generally 80g constitutes one portion of fruit or veg, which is the equivalent 2 kiwis, or 1 apple, or 1 large slice of melon.
Swapping to wholegrain/wholemeal carbohydrates, like bread, pasta and rice - a simple swap from white rice to brown or from white bread to wholemeal can increase the fibre content of the diet. Fibre plays an important role in nurturing the gut microbiome. Fibre also helps slow down the release of sugar from carbohydrate foods, which helps stabilise blood glucose levels - this is especially useful if you have insulin resistance associated with PCOS.
Increasing dairy products - there is a lot of discussion currently about low fat vs nornal dairy products for fertility, as newer research is shaking the the long standing opinion that low fat dairy products are the best. However, low fat or not, dairy is a good source of calcium in the diet, which is important for a range of body functions, and especially if your requirements have increased while breastfeeding. If you are vegan or have reduced the dair in your diet, it is important to choose calcium fortified alternatives.
Increasing protein intake - in combination with a calorie restricted diet, a good protein intake can be very valuable in losing weight. But even if you are not calorie counting, protein is important as it ot only provides essential building blocks for development, but also leaves you more satisfied after meals, meaning you are less likely to snack or eat to excess. This doesn’t have to mean more meat - there is plenty of good protein to be found in vegetarian foods like lentils, beans, tofu, eggs and soya.
Opting for low GI carbohydrates - similar to the above mention of fibre, opting for foods with a lowe Glycaemic Index (GI) can help to reduce big peaks and troughs in blood glucose levels, which iis especially important in PCOS or if you have diabetes.
Some of the above tips may be helpful as considerations for dietary change, but it can be tricky to know where to start. If you are having difficulty with setting goals, or implementing changes, try reading our Fertility Stress blog for help, or contact us for more personalised support.
References -
DOI: 10.1186/1471-2393-13-19
DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2008.10.008
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2007.08.037