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Weighty Issues Can Impact Fertility

Many of us have a daily battle with the scale, which is often difficult to win. For the purposes of fertility, being overweight can have a significant impact on the chances of successful conception, as well as on the risk of miscarriage. We know through studies that obesity can decrease the success rates of any fertility treatment and can increase the risk of miscarriage by up to 30%. The desire to have a child can be a powerful motivator to finally win this battle.  The good news is that even a 5-10% reduction of current body weight can have a positive impact on metabolic parameters and subsequent fertility. The key to successful weight loss lies in total caloric reduction.  Exercise is important, but it is not going to get you there without caloric restriction. Thirty minutes of moderate paced exercise such as walking, five times a week, is adequate to keep your metabolism from stagnating. Restricting calories to 1200 kcal-1500 kcal per day, depending on how much you need to lose, will cause slow and steady weight loss. It is a function of simple math—if you consume fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight, then you should start losing weight. It can be tough to count calories in the beginning, but eventually it becomes a way of life and you will learn the right portions even without having to measure things out. Healthy eating should not be a fad, but a lifelong habit, and what better motivator than the chance of having a baby?

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