Underweight and conceiving?

[Knittingupastorm]

Does anyone know what (if any) the impact of being underweight is on fertility. I’ve looked online and it mainly seems to say that being underweight can cause fertility problems due to irregular periods. But if I have regular periods, does that mean there isn’t really any effect of my weight?

For context, I’ve had regular periods for just over a year since they came back after stopping for a year when I had DD. I was the same weight when DD was conceived but I’m aware that maybe that was luck, and it doesn’t mean that statistically it still might be the case that the weight will have an effect.

I think as long as you have regular periods there shouldn't be a problem. Everything around low BMI and infertility problems seems to be due to have such low body fat that you have irregular/nonexistent cycles.

Having said that - with a BMI below 18.5 you're increasing the risk of miscarriage once you do conceive so if you can I'd still try and gain some weight whilst TTC.

I'm underweight and have had several consultations which all suggested me to gain weight for a better chance of conception but more importantly stressed on eating a balanced diet. After my marriage I suddenly started to gain and I've been trying o conceive since 1.5 years but unsuccessful. However recently my periods became irregular and I got diagnosed with PCOS. I had perfectly normal cycles before and no symptoms as such. After the diagnosis my gp suggested to control my weight and not gain despite my BMI being low

My mum conceived at a weight of 32kgs (her BMI was low) So it's true that being in the right BMI helps but even if you're not you can very well conceive. I guess it wouldn't hurt to take supplements and eat healthy regardless of whether the weight increases or not.

I had a very low BMI at the start of the year. My periods were still regular but they were very light.

I've tried really hard to gain weight to TTC, I now have a far earlier/longer oestrogen surge and heavier periods.

I think that while obviously people with a low BMI can get pregnant, it's going to be easier if you have a decent uterine lining for implantation and that really obviously suffered for me when my BMI was

I think gaining weight definitely helped me. I was underweight but definitely didn't look unhealthy, im 5'3 and was 45kg and had regular periods like clock work. After a year of trying I found an ivf package that would do a cycle cheap if I met certain criteria - one of which was getting my bmi up. I stepped up my calories and weights at the gym (muscle weighs more than fat!) and I conceived really quickly. Sadly it was ectopic but 6 weeks after surgery I got back to it again (my appetite hasn't decreased when recovering!) and got pregnant again on my second cycle trying, I'm 35 weeks now.

I did also try a number of other things so not sure if it was a coincidence!

@Chica1990 5’3 and 45kg is pretty much bang on what I am! I’ve always been like this and really struggle to put weight on though. How did you up the calories in a healthy way?

@Knittingupastorm I know what you mean, I've always been stagnant with weight and it definitely took some effort. I found when going to the gym more and focusing on weights I was hungrier in general anyway which made it much easier to just indulged in bigger portion sizes of protein, good fats and unrefined carbs wherever possible (I also don't eat gluten).

To be honest that was one of the easier and less expensive changes I made! I changed all of my cosmetics, had acupuncture for months, spent loads on supplements, got an ava bracelet, etc. Some other cheap things were buying a ferti-Lily and keeping my feet warm during and after ovulation!

It might not have much bearing as you have conceived already but I felt great doing something so positive for myself in the meantime and didn't look any bigger but had a more toned appearance (I actually managed to get a decent bum!) and the weight scale was still getting higher! For me it felt like a win win but I appreciate it will be much harder for you to fit in with a little one already.

I conceived with a low BMI. I think if that's your natural weight and periods are regular, it's v different from if you are under eating.

I was really worried I would have fertility issues because I was anorexic for 10+ years and during that time I would have a period maybe once or twice a year. I recovered but maintained a low-ish weight for ages and when we decided to TTC I got pregnant in the first cycle. Same with my second pregnancy. It was very surprising.

I think I was lucky though, and it must be to do with my genes. My mum and her mum always got pregnant really easily, so maybe I'm the same. I was convinced I'd never be able to get pregnant but I was wrong.

I will say though that after putting on some weight and eating proper meals my period miraculously returned and it was fairly regular too, which was another surprise. I found that by adding good fats liberally to my foods (I was pouring vegetable oils in everything!) helped with regular periods. And it was an easy way of upping my calories.

I’m the same. Conceiving was ok but being low BMI puts you at risk of pre term baby. I had an extra scan at 28 weeks due to it ended up having baby at 34 weeks due to him stopping growing. I’ve always been the same weight, family are the same so I couldn’t put weight on. Don’t know what the answer is but for second baby I took aspirin from conception onwards. She was born a bit early too. Both are now healthy.