Many of my clients have been told to lose weight by their doctors before they can move forward with fertility treatments. They feel stuck, frustrated, and annoyed that they don’t have access to the treatment they want before their weight reflects a certain number.
But before embarking on a weight loss strategy for your fertility, here are four things I recommend considering first if you think your weight is impacting your fertility.
Your infertility is categorized as unexplained. If your doctor hasn’t been able to give you a medical reason for why you haven’t been able to conceive yet, this is a sign that your weight could be playing a part. Even just a small amount of extra weight can influence how your hormones are working in your system and prevent your reproductive system from functioning properly.
You have an estrogen dominance in your body. While your body is naturally producing estrogen as part of your menstrual cycle, adipose tissue (fat cells) are also capable of producing estrogen as well. Conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, ovarian cysts, and a lack of ovulation are all indicators of high estrogen in your system. Pair any of those conditions with extra weight on your frame and you can exacerbate the symptoms associated with them, making conceiving much more difficult
You can’t remember what you ate yesterday. Being overweight results from overeating. Not knowing or remembering what you ate on a given day is a sign that you are not paying attention to the signals your body is sending you about what and how often you are eating.
You want to lose weight. Even though your doctor may have given you the orders to lose weight, moving forward with weight loss because you want to will help you in the long run. Losing weight is a personal process and will be unique to you. If the reason you are doing it is that you’ve been told to, instead of genuinely wanting to shed the pounds, it will be especially difficult for you to follow through.
Consider these four things before you come to your own decision about losing weight to improve your fertility. Remember, losing even a small percentage of extra weight could make the difference between the quality of eggs you produce and the possible success rate of any treatment you embark on in the future.
If you want to drop the pounds for good and move forward with fertility treatments faster, reach out to me for free help to get started. Based off of your situation, I’ll teach you a few tools that will help jumpstart your weight loss results immediately.