TTC When Overweight

[magicalmoons]

I (27, F, 5’7 and 206 lbs) have been TTC with my DH for roughly 8 cycles now. I’m worried that my weight/BMI may be the reason I have not become pregnant yet. I do exercise regularly and am trying to live a healthy lifestyle as I can. For other plus size women who have conceived, was there anything in particular you did to help it happen? I am already doing things such as taking prenatals and tracking my LH. But if there’s anything else I can do to help, I’d appreciate it.

 

[tater929]

@magicalmoons Friendly reminder it takes 2 to make a baby. You could be perfectly fine and it could be your partner that has need for improvement. It’s not all on you to be perfect for conception.

 

[autumn21]

@tater929 Yes, this. And you could weigh less and have endometriosis or PCOS or anything else that might affect your ability to conceive, or be heavier and have none of that. So any “tricks” on here won’t truly help unless you know you have that issue to begin with. The best advice is to track your cycles and have timed intercourse around ovulation, unless you go to an OBGYN to discuss any potential fertility issues.

 

[elitheartist]

@magicalmoons I'm right in your ballpark weight wise (5'7" and about 215lbs at conception) and it took us 7 months to get a viable pregnancy. to my understanding there's no studies that show weight loss equals decreased time to conception. and there's tons of skinny people who take as long if not longer to get pregnant. as frustrating as it is, any amount of time TTC under a year is considered normal/typical. I hope your wait isn't too much longer!!

 

[maccookie]

@magicalmoons The only thing that worked for my mom back in the 90’s, that also was effective for me, was probing your feet/hips up afterwards. This then lets gravity due its work in helping the little swimmers meet the egg.

Try not to get discouraged, I hope everything works out for you!

 

[magicalmoons]

@maccookie Have been trying this but will keep it up haha

Thank you

 

[karmel]

@magicalmoons Keep in mind there’s also an element of chance. The chance of getting pregnant even if you do everything right is still only around 30% if you have sex like two days before and day of ovulating. Usually if you’ve been trying a year and no luck they’ll do fertility checks for you and your partner. 6 months if you’re 35+

 

[carlisle1997]

@magicalmoons I was approximately the same size when I started prepping for ttc. I started working out 2x a week (worked up to 3-4x, pilates, aerobics, and aqua fit) and focused on eating fertility supportive foods like whole foods, seeds, nuts, sweet potatoes, salmon, etc and didn't really track calories. I cut out processed meat and alcohol. I lost about 10lbs in 2-3 months. I had been tracking for a year, so when we started trying in January I had a good idea when I ovulate which is a bit earlier than average. We were successful. I have heard that any weight loss can help, but I really don't know if the 10lbs was that important to the process or if it was just the healthy habits or if we were just really lucky or possibly a combination.

 

[chickenlittle]

@magicalmoons I'm 5'7 and was about 260 at conception. Had an IUD in for 9 years prior to TTC, and it took us 6 months with cycle tracking. I was concerned that there may have been something "wrong" with one of us, but it likely was just that my body needed to adjust to having a typical cycle after 9 years of no periods. I'm now 23wks and am so fortunate to have had an incredibly normal pregnancy so far!

 

[bellab]

@magicalmoons It just takes time. I was around 230 when I conceived. It took almost 2 years. One year of that was my body getting used to being off birth control. We did the tests, everything was normal, we were told that it was just a waiting game. As someone else said, put your legs up after sex. I did that and I honestly think it helped lol.

 

[yytg12]

@bellab Haha yup. They say it doesn't have an effect but I did it and it seemed to help. Of course I can't know for sure, but putting your legs up after can't hurt either.

 

[crossdrivenwriter]

@magicalmoons I’m 35, 5’1 and started at 206 pounds. I got pregnant on the first try and miscarried. Got pregnant again on the first try a few months later. I walked almost everyday. I saw a fertility naturopath and got myself and my partner tested at a fertility clinic/bloodwork check up. The naturopath told to take omega 3, Nac, Ubiquinol, low dose aspirin, I drank myoinosotil. This may be different for everyone. To be honest I don’t know if I needed to do all those things but I had a lot of health anxiety at the time. I also have friends who are in a healthy weight range and have been struggling to get pregnant. I think weight is one small factor in the bigger picture.

 

[esdindia]

@magicalmoons I'm 5'10 and was over 325 lbs when conceiving on our third try. Currently 24 weeks!

Honestly, I didn't do much different, I was kind of just trying to enjoy conceiving as much as I could and tried to let go of any expectations, just to make sure I was relaxed enough going into it, which I feel did help. I remember thinking after the 3rd try "hmm this might take longer than I think" because even though I had regular cycles and ovulation, I was a little worried I wasn't hitting my peak ovulation and felt I was constantly missing it by an inch. That same try I got pregnant though, so was fine in the end!

 

[aog17]

@magicalmoons Im 5'5 and was 230 when I conceived, the heaviest I've ever been. Even heavier than when I was 9 months pregnant the first time. I think stress plays a huge factor! The month we conceived, I tracked my cycle, and my husband was gone the day of and the 2 days before ovulation.. I thought there was no way it'd happen, and then it did. I dont think your weight plays into this too much. I know how much it hurts to keep trying and getting negatives, but really try to relax and have fun while ttc! I hope you get your positive soon!

 

[rott2002]

@magicalmoons I have a higher BMi than you and I got pregnant immediately the three times that I tried. I ended up having reepeated losses, not because of my weight but because I have a genetic blood clotting condition. So weight was irrelevant to me and had zero impact on my fertility, even though I'm much bigger than you.

 

[dm1057]

@magicalmoons There really isn't much you can do. I was in an unusual situation of working with a fertility clinic from the start (same sex couple) and it took us 10 tries all told, 5 of which were medicated. Our RE wasn't even slightly concerned about fertility despite the number of tries--we did some basic early testing to rule out basic issues, but that was all. Sometimes it takes a while.

I did find tracking BBT to be a nice addition to tracking LH, but mostly for my own curiosity about how my body worked.

 

[yytg12]

@magicalmoons It took my husband and I 11 months to conceive. I thought it took so long because of my weight. My gynecologist concluded that immediately and wanted me on some fertility boosting drugs ASAP after 10 months of ttc unsuccessfully. Didn't use them cause I got pregnant shortly after. Unrelated to ttc my husband did a spermogram while I was pregnant. Turned out his sperm count was a bit below optimal. It could have very well taken so long due to him, not me. Anyway, reminder to get your partner's sperm tested. It's non-invasive, quick and not too expensive. It's the easiest starting point.

 

[ohiojb]

@magicalmoons Similar age and height, was heavier than you, and got pregnant the first month I stopped using protection. Weight is often a red herring and easy excuse that doctors like to give. As far as I’m aware, there is no proven causality between weight and fertility.

It’s good you’re eating well, taking vitamins, and exercising. I would focus on this and see a doctor to explore any potential causes of your lack of success. I wouldn’t worry about your weight at all.

 

[a8alphamale]

@magicalmoons I was 250 when I got pregnant. Weight alone is not a factor when getting pregnant, but it does increase the risk of hormone issues such as PCOS and other health problems. So I would get tested for those things first. If weightloss is the answer to help cure any health issues that may be affecting getting pregnant then you can consider it then. I had two miscarriages that were unexplained, but I think it may have been due to my body not producing enough progesterone which can be weight related. I started taking progesterone with third pregnancy I am 22 weeks now.

 

[hambone]

@magicalmoons As others have mentioned, there could be many factors outside of your weight and typically there aren't fertility concerns unless it takes over a year of ttc.

It sounds like you're doing everything right and this very well may be out of your control or a matter of time/many attempts, as frustrating as that may be.

Ultimately it couldn't hurt to try to lose weight, if you suspect that could be a factor, as long as you do so in a healthy manner. But please don't blame yourself/your weight if that's the approach you choose. I like to view it as an opportunity to fit in some extra activity prior to not having time/energy to workout while pregnant or taking care of a newborn.

I myself was heavier than you (around 250lbs) and was actively trying to get into shape (aerobics every other day) when we started trying. I figured I'd have more time to get into shape since I was early 30s and obese, but we conceived way sooner than I expected. Since then, my energy was zapped and I haven't worked out other than going for long walks. Even though I'm no longer pregnant, I'm sleep deprived and lack energy/motivation to workout.

All this to say, it's likely out of your control, but you can look into fertility (if it takes you 4 more cycles with no luck) and working out more may help or it may just be a good distraction/opportunity. Hugs.