Obesity Reduces Female Fertility

Obesity is a condition in which a person has a high body mass index of more than 27. According to the WHO, in 2014 there were 600 million adults aged obese. In Indonesia alone, the incidence of obesity in the adult female group in 2013 was 32.9% which experienced an increase of 18% from 2007.

Obesity can cause various chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes mellitus , and hypertension . Not only that, obese women are at risk of developing reproductive function and causing infertility or infertility. Infertility or infertility is defined by conditions in which women do not experience pregnancy even though having sexual intercourse regularly. Then, why can obesity cause infertility for women?

How can obesity affect fertility?

Several studies have shown that difficult pregnancies occur in women who are obese when compared with women of normal weight or overweight. Even when experiencing pregnancy, obese women are at risk of having a miscarriage. A study of 3,029 couples showed that women who had a BMI over 30 had difficulty conceiving in at least one year. In addition, it is also known that women with a BMI that is more than 30 can not perform a normal birth. Whereas women with a BMI of 40 or more reduced their chances of getting pregnant by 43%.  

Surveys show that women with BMI 24 to 31 have anovulation (ovaries do not produce eggs) 30% higher each month compared to women who have normal BMI. Even women whose BMI is more than 31, have a 170% higher chance of experiencing anovulation.

Unbalanced leptin hormone

People who are obese usually tend to consume foods with high calories, sugar and fat. When the body consumes too much fat, leptin will appear which functions to regulate appetite and signal to the brain that the body is 'full'. However, fat intake that constantly enters will make the hormone leptin continue to be produced by the body. The more amount of fat consumed, the higher the level of leptin. However, leptin becomes resistant and does not function properly because too much fat is entered so that leptin levels are too high in the body.

Disorders of leptin function can affect the imbalance of sexual hormone levels, such as luteinizing hormone and estradiol which are fertility hormones in women. These hormones help prepare ovum or eggs in women. In addition, women have leptin levels three times higher than men. So, when women consume too much fatty food, then the leptin produced will also increase. This is what causes obese women to get pregnant.

Insulin hormone resistance

Not only resistance to the hormone leptin, the body also experiences resistance to the hormone insulin. When people who are obese consume too much carbohydrate or sugar there will be hyperglycemia in the body. Continuous hyperglycemia will result in the body no longer sensitive to the hormone insulin. Research states that pituitary cells that function to produce luteinizing homorne , which play a role in the process of fertilization and determine female fertility.

The study was conducted on female rats who lost insulin receptors, so the body could not receive signals from the insulin hormone. The female rat was given high-fat food for three months. At the end of the study, it was found that female rats experienced polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that is usually the reason for infertility in women. In addition, several other female mice also showed irregular menstruation and other reproductive disorders.

Other studies say that polycystic ovary syndrome results in an increase in the hormone androgen (male hormone) in women, and disrupts the ovary to produce eggs. There are many things that cause PCOS, but researchers say that having a nutritional status that is obese can increase a high risk for women experiencing PCOS.

Causes miscarriage

Although obese women have succeeded in getting pregnant, the pregnancy is very risky for the health of the fetus. Obese women tend to have poor egg quality, experience disruption when the process of implantation of the ovum (which has been fertilized) occurs, and hormonal dysfunction due to obesity will be a complication during pregnancy.

However, along with weight loss and fat levels in the body, women can normalize their reproductive function again. The British Fertility Society says that women who are obese must lose weight to normal so that they can be fertile again.