While being overweight is common and acceptance of different body types is growing, for women who want to get pregnant, weight is actually something that needs to be managed more. This is because carrying too much weight and being obese can make getting pregnant and being pregnant much harder. It can also affect your child years into the future. For help with weight management, you'll need to consult different people such as dietitians, but your OBGYN can help as well, by monitoring your weight, explaining what the extra weight can do to your chances of a healthy pregnancy, and letting you know if you're in a range where pregnancy is more or less risky.

Obesity Can Make It Harder to Get Pregnant

First, obesity can make it much harder to get pregnant in the first place. Body fat produces extra estrogen (in addition to what your body normally produces), which can affect your ovulation cycles. The amount produced by fat is not as great as what is produced by your ovaries, but it's enough to throw off your cycle and make getting pregnant very tricky. It's not impossible, but it can be frustratingly difficult.

Obesity Can Hide the Signs of Pregnancy

On the flip side of that is the fact that obesity can hide the signs of pregnancy. So, if you're obese and do manage to get pregnant, you might not even realize it. This is more of a problem for women who are morbidly obese and not just a little bit more than overweight. But it can still be a shock to go to your doctor for strange health issues and find you suddenly need a cesarean.

Obesity Can Increase the Risks You Face in Pregnancy

Being obese also increases the risks of additional health problems for both you and your baby, once the baby is born. You may have a higher risk of gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, and your risk of miscarriage goes up. As your baby enters childhood, they may develop asthma or have a higher chance of being obese themselves. And those are just some of the risks. Obviously, those risks still exist even if you aren't obese, but the likelihood of them being a problem is smaller.

Weight management can be difficult for some and easier for others. But if you're planning to get pregnant, you do need to do your best to control your weight. That makes getting pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy a lot easier. Your OBGYN can help you focus on what to do and what your goal should be, as well as refer you to dietitians if needed.

Contact an OBGYN to learn more about weight management treatment.