Body type?

LaurenDarling · April 2016

So we have our first appointment with the RE set for mid-may. I'm getting anxious already though because I just *know* they're going to tell me I have to lose weight before they help me. I'm not crazy overweight, but I am like a 14 top and a 16 (maybe 18 now) bottom. I'm going to start working on eating healthier starting tomorrow so I can hopefully drop about 10 lbs before I have an initial evaluation.

What is your body type? Has your doctor had a problem with it?

mylittleversailles · April 2016

I had a doctor at a walk-in tell me I was too fat to have children. I'm a size 14 and it's all T&A. So that's fun to find clothes for. And by fun, I mean I literally bawl my eyes out in every dressing room I've ever been in and currently only own one shirt. I have dresses, though.

My new family doctor who specializes in obstetrics told me that what he said was absolute hogwash and that I am not a large person and that there's is no way it will have any bearing on my fertility. I was really nervous previous to my first physical last week about her telling something similar. You deserve medical treatment, no matter what your size. I am extremely healthy, but health shouldn't be some barrier we put up to exclude others.

Hugs, I hope it goes better than you're expecting, but I totally get the worry.

MWoodside · April 2016

I have PCOS, so when I gain weight it goes to my middle. I have to work really hard to maintain healthy weight. But it actually is important for me b/c if I don't I get insulin resistance, which can impact my fertility.

But I do know plenty of overweight people who have gone on to have families without issue.

I hope your visit goes well.

fivetimesnoluck · April 2016

I'm 5'8" and weigh 180. I could lose 30lbs and look super fabulous, but as I am, I'm pretty average. I wear a size 12 most often. BMI is 27ish (I think 30 is considered obese).

I have nothing other than poor diet/exercise ratio to point to. Neither my RE nor my OB/Gyn have pointed to a need to lose weight or have considered it a factor in my issues though. And I have asked.

ThePax89 · April 2016

I have hypothyroidism, but I'm underweight. Thyroid issues are dangerous for pregnancy, period. My weight hasn't affected my fertility.

MooFish2364 · April 2016

I am pretty small. I've always been "skinny" (I hate that term) and it's only been in the last year or so that I've been able to put on about 5 lbs. I hate to even tell people this because they think I'm bragging. Trust me when I say this...small people get crap about their bodies all of the time too. I've been asked so many times if I'm anorexic or belemic; and I have also had multiple strangers ask me what I weigh. People are cruel and rude reguardless and wil find fault in anyone that they can.

When I went in for my first midwife appointment after my BFP she told me that I was slightly underweight and that she wanted to see me gain weight. I know that I've always been slightly underweight; but that's just my body type. I eat healthy and don't over exercise. I've actually cut down on exercising since my loss so that I can maintain a higher weight. Hopefully that will help me get pregnant. That being said, my cycles are always regular and I ovulate every month, so I don't think my weight is an issue.

cooaladolly · April 2016

Hmmm I have to say in all the Googling I've done, I've only seen it mentioned that there was difficulty in conceiving if the weight discrepancy (over or under) was severe, which it doesn't sound to me as if you are (any of you). I think some doctors wear their own biases a little too on their sleeve.

@MooFish2364 have you ever had your thyroid checked? I'm in a similar boat. Though not as severely underweight as I used to be (I've actually gotten, "are you sure you don't have cancer?") I'm still small. For some reason I've never had my thyroid tested either but I think it's going to be my first next step, as @ThePax89 mentioned it can be a big fertility stumbling block. I'm annoyed at myself for not having looked into it sooner as I have (and have had most of my life) other symptoms for hyperthyroid as well.

Spartanrd4 · April 2016

I'm slightly overweight (BMI 26/27 usually) and the only thing I have ever been told in regards to fertility is when I got all my initial labs with my pregnancy I had to do the 1 hour glucose tolerance test early....at my OB practice they test everyone who has a BMI over 26 earlier because they consider you higher risk for developing gestational diabetes.

MooFish2364 · April 2016

@cooaladolll I guess I never thought about it. I've always been small and never knew much about hyperthyroidism. I just did a quick Google search of symptoms and I have a few but mostly not. It wouldn't hurt to ask my doctor about it however. Everyone is my family is small and I just assumed that I have a fast metabolism. Thanks for the tip though. I want to look into this.

NamelessAria · April 2016

I've never had a doctor tell me that my weight is affecting my fertility. I'm "pear shaped" so I'm relatively small on the top (like a size 12 dress is baggy up top) and about a size 14-16 on bottom. I have a fairly large butt with wide hips and fat legs. I'm 5'7 and 156 with a BMI of 24.5 or so. So I'm at the absolute top end of "normal." However, the last time I saw my OB/GYN I'd gained some weight and was solidly in the overweight category. She told me that she didn't see any reason to assume I'd have trouble getting or staying pregnant. So I'm assuming she wasn't considering my weight to be a problem.

I absolutely agree with the previous poster who said that you absolutely deserve medical care regardless of your size. I mean it is fine if your doctor tells you that he/she honestly believes you'd have better chances if you'd lose weight, in addition to whatever other treatments. But if he/she refuses you care until you lose weight... that just isn't right. Especially since it doesn't sound as if you're overweight enough for it to really matter. If the RE does tell you that I'd suggest finding another RE.

dpjennifer · April 2016

A couple at work had infertility issues and needed several IVF treatments or something. They are very overweight and struggled with doctors refusing to help them until she lost weight. She did, and then they finally did tests to find out the problem as completely unrelated to weight. So frustrating!

I am a size 12 bottom (if I could get rid of another 5-10 pounds I’d be back in my 10s again!), but like @reneeannemm I am totally T&A and hips! I think I’d rather go nude than go through the process of buying a bathing suit. I can totally relate to the bawling in dressing rooms. Nothing is made for women with large chests that aren’t proportionately large on the bottom.

@LaurenDarling Good luck with your RE appointment!

amberruka · April 2016

@MooFish2364 I would recommend checking your thyroid at some point just to be sure. I probably had subclinical hyperthyroidism for years and the MC was the first symptom of it. Then things just seemed to go haywire after that (goiter, weight loss, etc.). Just my two cents. Best of luck to you.

poteetpartyof3 · April 2016

Body type and weight is all rubbish. I weigh 160 pounds and am a size 10-12 on the bottom but look really skinny. As long as you are heathy weight and size shouldn't matter.

iceandsnowflakes29 · May 2016

I'm a size 12 pants. I'm about 5 ft 6 or 7. My last weight was 168. I have long legs and I carry my weight in my mid section. I have gained some weight. I used to weigh about 135.

I have a pretty active lifestyle (not working out I can easily get 7,000-8,000 steps on my fit bit) on a low day 3,000-5,000.

I've had 4 losses, one of which was ectopic.

With that said my 2 bffs are heavier than me ( 300 lbs or more) and have ZERO fertility issues and zero losses. So, I'm sure a healthy weight is a plus but, not sure I buy that it's a cure or anything.

stephann85 · May 2016

Weight is always a hard topic for me to discuss... I have struggled with weight issues my entire life. I am hoping that sharing this with you all helps me cope with some of this.

When I had my mirena removed I was at my heaviest, almost 250 pounds. My PA told me that I had gained weight since the last time I saw her... yeah I already knew that, thanks for rubbing it in. In all fairness she was very kind about it. She said that it would be helpful if I lost at least 10 pounds before conceiving, and this was purely just to decrease certain other risks (ie. gestational diabetes) and had nothing to do with conceiving. Unfortunately, I conceived before I could lose any substantial weight. And I ended up having a miscarriage. And I couldn't help think that it was my fault for being so overweight.
At my appt following d&c, I was told that my weight really had nothing to do with my loss, it was most likely do to the way that the sperm and egg merged (for lack of a better word) and it resulted in a blighted oum.
The irony behind this whole thing is that the loss caused me to lose almost 15 ponds and I have been eating better since as well. I sometimes think that my loss is almost a blessing in disguise, a very horrible disguise.

yolandamunoz · May 2016

I have always been small, like @MooFish2364 i think people are also rude to "skinny" people. Only after I turned 30 I gained like 5 kilos and went up a size. When I got pregnant, I gained 4 more kilos, as I was so hungry all the time. Since my loss, I haven't been able to lose them. I don't have the will to go on a diet, at all. Anyway, after this my BMI is 23, still normal, so I try not to worry about it.

Three weeks ago I had vertigo, so I am getting various tests done, including testing for diabetes, to see if I am likely to have it (or have it already). So hopefully I can get more information to work with, health-wise, in this TTC process.

catiecatp · May 2016

Just weighing in here - I think the more important things are to be strong (versus skinny) and to be happy with what you see in the mirror because your mood has an impact on so many things in life, including the health of a pregnancy. I've seen in a few places, not any academic ones (because I haven't looked) that weight extremes can influence getting pregnant, and some of the complications that may arise during pregnancy are correlated with BMI (but correlation doesn't equal causation). I've never seen any source saying that weight influences miscarriage though.

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