Overweight May Lead To Miscarriage

By Suparna Chakaraborthy

Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 15:25

Assisted reproductive technology (ART), is a widely used technology used to conceive by women who have problem in conceiving naturally. But to work effectively, this technology needs the person to loose extra weight. A recent study claims that overweight women, undergoing this technology have higher risk miscarriage.

Dr. Vivian Rittenberg, a Clinical Fellow, said that increased body mass index (BMI) was independently associated with a higher miscarriage rate after IVF or ICSI treatment.

The researchers reached this conclusion after conducting a survey between two groups - those who had a normal BMI (18.5-24.9) and the other of those who had a BMI of 25 or above.

The researchers found that the miscarriage rate was lower in women with normal weight (22 percent) compared to women who were overweight (33 percent).

The question which arises is that whether IVF or ICSI treatment increased this risk of miscarriage.

"Overweight women wishing to get pregnant by spontaneous conception are already counseled to lose weight before trying for a baby," said Dr. Tarek El-Toukhy.

"Our findings have shown clearly that women undertaking ART should be strongly encouraged to heed this advice in order that they can have the best possible chance of obtaining and maintaining a pregnancy," he added.

Excess of fat, puts a lot of pressure on the foetus and restricts it from growing. This creates a tension, which gradually lead to miscarriage. Even if a women has conceived naturally, excess fat increases the chances of miscarriage.