Be honest ladies.....

[WILMAFLINSTONE]

.....whos overweight and TTC?

I am considerably overweight, have been up and down over the years and gaine aboue 4 stone since becoming wheelchaire dependant and not getting a lot of excersise!

But have so far lost 9lbs since husband was diagnosed Diabetes 3 weeks ago and hes now lost over a stone so were doing well but both def needed to loose weight and have a long way to go still!

But wondered if there are any other ladies and gents who are also TTC who are very overweight and are you doing anything about it or hoping nature will take its course and you will still get pregnant? No offense meant by this question!

I know plenty of people who are bigger than me and have got pregnant no probs but obvisouly everyone is different and may not always happen for everyone with an extra few pounds!

Thanks in advance I know weight is a touchy subject with some people but would appreciate your honest answers....


xxx

 

[xXxBonnyxXx]

I am no where near being over weight but have often wondered if being underweight has the same effects as being overweight?

I am 5 11 and weigh just over 9 stone, I am trying to gain weight as I lost nearly 2 stone over the winter without trying, It is going back on slowly but I'm sure that this is also affecting me in a negative way while ttc,

I have bouts of not feeling hungry so I don't eat - some days all I would eat would be an apple and that could go on for a few days/weeks.
I am trying to make myself eat at least 3 times a day but its really hard when I don't get a set lunch break from work.
I would like to get up to the 10 stone mark

And yeah I'm sick of the comments of 'oh you are so lucky being slim' 'you can have some of my fat' blah blah blah

 

[munchkin1982]

I'm not trying to concieve because I am already 18 weeks, but I am always being told by health professionals that I am "MOBIDLY OBESE" !!!!! I am a size 16 and 4ft 11..... Keep waiting to die either that or I am going to go on one mass diet after the pregnancy - get down to my so say "ideal" weight and then sue the NHS for all the other health problems I may suffer in doing so! BMI is rubbish in my eyes. I know it doesn't really help answer your question but thought i'd let you know my situation. Good luck though... as you say - there are people bigger than yourself that concieve - keep at it it'll happen soon enough x

 

[Lilelephant]

i am bang in the middle of "normal weight range" and i have been ttc for about the same time, and like u one mc! so although it could effect ttc i dont think it does as drastically as is made out sometimes

 

[ShadowWolf]

I too am considered obese, I remember when the nurse weighed me a few years ago and she demanded I loose weight, she made me cry I'm only 5ft 1 or so but i'm a size 14 with FF breasts (before pregnancy) and I have inherited a very thick set build from my mum (ta mum). I have a constant BMI of 29-31 or so and I agree, BMI system is bull****and doesnt mean anything.

xxx

 

[munchkin1982]

It's awful isn't it? According to the BMI charts - i'd have to lose 7 stone to be an OK weight! It's shocking! xx

 

[LouiseB]

I'm not very overweight to look at although i am 2 stone over my ideal weight and it is in the back of my mind a lot of the time.

You don't mention how much you weigh or your BMI but i can understand it being a concern for you.

I just wanted to mention that i have an uncle, who is himself rather skinny, but he likes very overweight women - they have always looked about 25 stone if i had to guess - and he had no problem getting them pregnant.

One was only a short term relationship but he is still with the other lady and she has been really big all her life and the baby was her fourth child!

So being very over weight doesn't seem to be a very good contraceptive in itself and i don't think you should give up hope if it is taking time to shed the weight, although it is still a good idea to lose the weight in the long term.

 

[WILMAFLINSTONE]

Hey ladies thanks for your replies!

Yeah Bonny I can see being underweight causing you concern...has your GP every said it may be preventing you getting pregnant? AHving said that if your regular etc maybe not...Im not so sure! But know being underweight can affect your fertility....

Yeah Munchkin I know the feeling of being labelled and its not great although do agree with the BMI theory! Poop!

Wow wolfy poor you what a horrid nurse too!

Well Ive gone from a 16/18 to a 22/24, Im 5.6", since getting ill but managing to shift it now with lifestyle change.

Speaking to GP on tues she said it wont hurt to keep loosing but that theres no garauntee it will make us get our BFP....said that with overweight men tho that it affects the motility and health of their sperm so DH loosing weight is a good thing too!

My friends daughter was very overweight and was having IVF....still nothing so she lost 3 stone and is now 20weeks with little boy so who knows if its coz of weight loss or just luck! xxx

 

[munchkin1982]

I'm not very overweight to look at although i am 2 stone over my ideal weight and it is in the back of my mind a lot of the time.

You don't mention how much you weigh or your BMI but i can understand it being a concern for you.

I just wanted to mention that i have an uncle, who is himself rather skinny, but he likes very overweight women - they have always looked about 25 stone if i had to guess - and he had no problem getting them pregnant.

One was only a short term relationship but he is still with the other lady and she has been really big all her life and the baby was her fourth child!

So being very over weight doesn't seem to be a very good contraceptive in itself and i don't think you should give up hope if it is taking time to shed the weight, although it is still a good idea to lose the weight in the long term.

Sorry - I am 14 stone now with the kilo i have put on over the last 4 months of pregnancy... gives me a BMI of 40.26!!!!

 

[BabyLover]

Well like you say it's different for other people.

I am 5ft 5 and weigh 15 stone 10lb's....I used to be 21 stone just over 1 year ago, and was told to lose weight by my doctor in order to become pregnant more easily, in which I have done and look at me now, lost over 5 stone and no joy yet and we have been TTC for over 4 years now! It just goes to show you wether you are fat or thin, you can still get pregnant, it's just down to the individual. My friend is 20 stone and she loves her junk food and feel pregnant straight the way and has now had a baby born, who is 4 months old...she had no problems at all...gained an extra stone while pregnant and not bothered and want to try for another one soon!

When doctors say oh it may be your weight, that's bullshit! don't listen to them...if it happens it does and if it don't it don't lol

Donna x

 

[Countrybumpkin]

This is such a hard one. I have struggled with my weight for a good number of years, to the point i went to the doctor for help. I had tried, and when i say tried, i tried very hard at a number of slimming clubs and am a very fit active person. In the end they did a scan and i found i had PCOS. Eventually 3 / 4 years ago i started to manage to shift the last part of my weight to get me to a good BMI of 22 (an on going battle for 10 years plus). It was hard work, and even harder for me to keep it off, but i have and did manage it.

Whilst i started to loose the weight, even on the pill, i started to notice i bleed for 5 five days on my week off the pill, this hadn't happend like this for a good few years. When i came off the pill December last year, my periods returned to a perfect cycle, i was in shock. We had one little moment with out protection and here i am nearly 18 weeks pregnant.

I can't prove loosing the weight and keeping it off meant i was a lot more fertile than i was before, but i do feel this factor played a huge role, for me. That is the key part in this, i feel it did for me, but it doesn't for the next person.

Edit to say;
With my thinking is i knew i had PCOS, and being over weight will make my PCOS worse, which will in return mean less fertile. Trouble is there are lots of women out there who don't even realise they have PCOS. Blood tests don't always give you an answer the only way of telling is via a scan.

 

[Piglet10]

i had a very traumatic miscarriage in dec 08... and as i am v overweight i asked the doc was it weight related ... hes a v high constultant and works all over and first he reassured me it had nothing to do with my weight and after advice bout ttcing again etc i asked should i lose weight etc... and his advice....

SOMETIMES a sudden weight loss can sort of put the body into kickstart and give your fertility a wee boost sort of, he also said that theres NO research to prove heavier women find it harder to conceive its just that of course doctors have to recommend a healthy weight... he also said that the main reasons they advise women against getting pg when obese is because they may find it tougher to carry a baby eg their back etc and also the weight you naturally gain in pregnancy ... so he told me to just monitor i didnt put on too much weight... i lost 18lbs lol due to ms!!!

i got preg the first month we tried both times.... so for me i have not seen weight and fertility to be related at all....

sorry for the ramblings xx

 

[WILMAFLINSTONE]

Wow some very interesting stories and theories there thanks a lot ladies!

You think of all sorts dont you when its not happening.....and like you said Lisa it prob wont hurt to be loosing the weight but obviously LIke Blover pointed out shes lost all that weight and still not happening!

Time will tell wont it...until then Im still loving my new lifestyle changes!

Thanks again ladies xxx

 

[jarjar7]

I consider myself to be overweight, I am about 5' 8 and a size 16...had my medical at work on June 1st and she said I could do with losing a little weight as my bmi was slightly higher than it should be but I also told her I am TTC and she didn't mention my weight at all...lately I have tried to just eat a bit more healthy, salad for lunch, no picking between meals etc and I do feel like I've lost SOME weight but I never weigh myself, I go by how my clothes fit and they seem to be fitting a little better over the last few weeks. My OH however is a different story, he really needs to lose weight but its mainly just a big beer gut he has got. To be honest I try not to think about it affecting TTC, that just brings me down cos I know he doesn't have the dedication to lose weight...I'm just hoping that having sex more often and his little swimmers constantly being refreshed will do the trick...
xxxx

 

[munchkin1982]

I also found that the more I thought about getting pregnant the more it didn't happen. Then, all of a sudden, when not thinking about it - there it was - the positive tests! xx

 

[WILMAFLINSTONE]

Yeah Jarjar that was one of my concerns before DH was diagnosed last month....no matter how much me and DD tried to get him to wise up to a healthy diet he was still a chip monster and ate naughties at work! Now I get texts off him saying 'Ive just refused a cake off the dinner cooks'! How proud of him am I lol!

But yeah it seems that although the medical prefession would have us believe loosing weight will help us in TTC maybe thats not really the case but obvisouly for health reasons its better!

Onwards and upwards Jarjar! We will get our BFPs soon!

Yeah munchkin, Im def enjoying the not actively TTC not preventing approach its much more relaxed and totally stress free! Its not the only thing I think of anymore so hopefully us being chilled out will help in the long haul! xxx

 

[Geminiblue]

My weight had yo yo'd for years which is not good BUT having been pregnant and not physically fit I now exercise. I want my body to be stronger and healthier for my next child for whenever that happens to make it a happier experience to create a healthy environment for my child and less stress on my body mind and my unborn child. Does that make sense. The reasons diets dont work is that it does not change your attitude or relationship with food it just changes what you put in your body for a short period of time. So what I am saying is thin is not healthy, drastic weight loss in short periods of time is not healthy, a little exercise everyday is a start... take it a day at a time gradually, gently... thats what I am doing and feel better for it, feel like I am doing something positive rather than focusing on the negative and hey, if I fall pregnant thats fantastic I feel like I have tried my best, Wishing you well and good luck xxx

 

[PinkPunch]

your both doing so well wilma!! hope it happens soon hun x

 

[PinkPunch]

are you testing tomorrow??

 

[WILMAFLINSTONE]

Thanks Geminiblue your right....I find diets a waste os time as its only a temperary fix but looking at it and putting it into practice as a lifestyle change has totally changed our outlook on life and what we eat etc!

Fingers crossed ehh!!

xxx