Underweight

[minipilling]

I've started a new thread for this as it's a separate issue to all my other problems!

Because I have endo and chronic nausea/IBS, I'm underweight. I was always a slim child and weighed very little, I was in and out of a weight clinic when I was seven! I gained weight in my teens and had a lot of puppy fat and was a size 12-14. I had an illness age 17 and lost all the weight, digestive issues etc and became anorexic shortly after (the illness had traumatised me and I was afraid to eat). I recovered in my twenties and was able to eat normally, remained slim but a healthy weight. Since having endo diagnosed/having my surgeries I have been much skinnier. I am 5ft 3 and currently weigh 6 stone 6 pounds after a bad flare. To reiterate - I am no longer anorexic. FWIW, I have had various weigh-ins before and after my surgeries and regular health checks, and no one ever flagged my weight (which I think is a bit silly because if I was a stone overweight they probably wouldn't let me hear the end of it!)

Obviously I'm TTC and a bit worried of the impact my weight might have. Part of my problem is lack of appetite, so if I gain an appetite during pregnancy I'm sure I will put on some weight. But I'm a bit nervous if morning sickness causes me to lose more. Assuming I do get pregnant, does anyone have any advice? Or is anyone in a similar position? Thank you.

I’m 5’3 and was 45kg until around September last year. I was looking at ivf options as I’ve been trying since July 2019 (regular periods and ovulating) but with no luck, but they said you need to be in the normal bmi for them to work with you so made a big effort to put on weight (gyms were open so could weight train more for muscle which is heavier than fat) and consume more calories. It’s very weird as I look slim I suppose but have a bum and don’t look underweight, I feel like I’m a weird illusion!

The efforts worked and I slowly got up to 47kg roughly and fell pregnant at the end of December 2020/ early jan 2021. I do feel like a lot of the sick feeling for me comes from needing to eat, I skip the normal hunger feeling and go straight to so hungry I feel sick, this might be why they recommend eating more and smaller meals rather than waiting for 3 spread out in a day. I’m constantly eating atm and feeling like I’m trying to keep on top of it, it feels like I have a tapeworm! You can’t help it, you just feel like you need to keep filling yourself even though you are put off by a lot of food (aversions). I’m in a cycle of going to the toilet and eating all the time, I have so many snacks during the day. I actually have a phobia of being sick so after a few days of fighting the urge off I asked the docs for help and they prescribed me some stuff which has helped.

I had my first midwife appointment and I’m at 49.2kg so I think I’m doing something right! Are you having regular cycles?

Excuse the rambling post!! I wanted to comment because I had similar worries

I was underweight as a child, teen and into my early 20s, very much so at some points - but for me this was not because of any illness, and a concern was only raised once in a medical setting. I've mostly been very fit and well and had regular periods but I did worry about any effects on fertility...are your periods regular? If so, that's a very good sign I've heard. But really I think a chat with the GP would be best to put your mind at rest or to see if you can improve your chances if needed, in the context of your medical history.

If it helps, I conceived quickly and so far so good at 27 weeks. My BMI was 19 when I got pregnant - I know that's not underweight but I thought it might help you to know.

At the booking in appointment the form had a tick box for BMI under 19/19.5 (can't remember at the moment!!) so you will be taken extra care of of needed Mine was up to 20 by then All the best

Thank you!

Yes, my periods are regular, I came off the pill (which stops them entirely) and they're pretty much back to normal though I bleed for a few days longer than I used to. When I was anorexic they stopped for a couple of years then came back as I started to eat more, but that was it.

@minipilling I was the same OP. I put a tiny bit of weight on while pregnant then ended up very thin after the birth. I have a BMI of 19 now. How are you getting on now?

Hi there, I am still struggling unfortunately - I have upped my calories slightly but I think it has put a rocket under my metabolism because my weight fluctuates between 6.6 and 6.3 stone day to day! I've double checked the electronic scales and they seem to be correct. But my energy level is better with more calories, I feel better etc. My appetite has increased too, so I will up the calories again in due course. Once I am consuming more I plan to do weight training to build some muscle, but I'm wary of doing too much activity at the moment while I'm underweight.

Sorry to hear you're still struggling @minipilling. It's good though that you have a bit more appetite. Have you been weighed by your GP? Their scales may be slightly different to yours and then you'd get a clearer picture of your exact weight. My scales at home are quite unreliable at times so it was good for me to be weighed there so I knew for sure.