Recent findings that suggest overweight women are less likely to conceive through IVF are being challenged.
By Aylin Akin, Sean Bourke, Liz Cooley, Michael Cox and Harry Kemble
Weight has no effect on women’s fertility, according to a Clapham medical expert.
Recent findings suggest that women who are overweight – even by just a few pounds – are less likely to have a baby through IVF.
Despite these reports expert Claire Choudhury disagrees.
She said: “Being a bit plump shouldn’t make a difference.”
Ms Choudhury, a medical herbalist since 1999, added: “If they have got extra fat cells it means they will release more oestrogen and make them more fertile.
“Stress will make weight irrelevant within reason and negate the impact of extra oestrogen in fat cells.”
Fellow expert Richard Collisson of Wimbledon Acupuncture & Herbs agrees with Ms Choudhury’s view.
He said: “Fat cells do carry more oestrogen, but often there are not hard and fast rules to getting pregnant.
“For instance the other day I was advising a patient to put on weight in order to increase chances of pregnancy.”
Mr Collisson also said many fertility consultants will show patients the door until their BMI is below 30.
NHS Guidelines say a woman of 5ft 6in (1.67 metres) and 9.5 stone (60 kilos) would be healthy, but once over 12 stone (76 kilos) she is considered overweight and at 14 stone (89 kilos), obese.
While being clinically obese is known to affect IVF conception, pregnancy and birth, doctors do not insist on overweight or obese women losing weight.
Wimbledon herbalist and acupuncturist, Dr. Sophie Lu, said being either slightly overweight or underweight does not matter as long as you have good general health.
She said: “Stress and tiredness are more likely to affect it.”
Herbal World on The Broadway currently have a lot of couples attend for fertility treatment, including those who are trying to conceive naturally and with IVF.
It is becoming more popular for couples to go for a course to improve success in treatment before seeking IVF.
