A question of weight

[Ariesgirl]

Hi all - serious answers only please. I appreciate the fact that some people may just think "lucky bitch, what's she moaning about". I am starting to wonder if I am too skinny to conceive easily. I am 5 ft 8 and hover around 8 stone 12 and this gives me a BMI of about 19 I think. This is not to do with me being anorexic or weight conscious - well, I am weight conscious, if only because people often say "Put some weight on". I get very about it, especially when I skim Daily Heil articles about "real women" etc. However I digress. Does it make any difference, or have any adverse effect, does anyone know? Or is it only if it gets to the point when you stop having ovulation and periods?

And, as someone who finds it very difficult to gain weight, are there any dietary tips? I want to gain some inches and pounds but not stuff myself full of cholesterol . Someone suggested a pint of full fat milk a day and watch those scales creep up. I'm also thinking lots of eggs.

Ooh you lucky bitch

I seem to have been reading the NICE guideline all day for various reasons, but that says:

"Women who have a body mass index of less than 19 ^and who have irregular
menstruation or are not menstruating^ should be advised that increasing body weight
is likely to improve their chance of conception".

So I don't think it's a cause for concern, as long as your ovulation/periods are OK. AND you are right on the lower borderline of "normal" anyway, it's not as though your BMI is 15. AND you are naturally skinny, which I think is quite different to someone who has starved themselves to get to that weight; this is just how you are - very slim and healthy.

One less thing to worry about, matey?

I am not a medical expert but I think as long as you are fit and healthy and eat a balanced diet then i dont see why it would make a difference. you obviously have a fast metabolism, hence you being a little underweight. TBH i feel we are far to obsessed with what is 'normal' these days and this is just another form of body fascism. I think its terrible that people give you shit for being slimmer than the norm.

If you are seriously worried then see a dietician, they will be able to advise you on your current diet to make sure you are getting balanced nutrients. I certainly wouldn't advise gaining weight for weights sake by chucking a load of full fat dairy down your gullet. But if you really want to gain some then I'd have thought carbs would be the way to go, thats what marathon runners do to keep their weight up while training and its also what I cut out when trying to lose weight. And maybe up your protein intake, eggs would be good for this but also lean meat.

Also depends how much you exercise, muscle weights more than fat after all! if you do have a high met rate then you'd defo need to up the calorie intake.

be interesting to hear what other say on this...

Hi Ariesgirl, I'm not a doctor, but I think if you are having regular periods, your weight is sufficient to carry a pregnancy and that its just a matter of time. As you say, when periods stop, its a sign the body does not have enough surplus fat to support a growing baby.
I am 5ft 2 and 7 st and have carried 2 children perfectly healthily.

I would think the right foods to eat were those containing high levels of natural fats likes avocados, nuts, umm can't think of any more, cheese? - (though thats not particularly great but gives you a good source of calcium) rather than processed high sugar 'empty calorie' foods like chocolate and cakes.
Not sure if that helps - I've probably told you everything you know already. All the very best x

Low levels of certain vitamins and minerals can have an effect I believe (I was quite interested in Foresight when TTC, though didn't actually have any of their tests and just took Pregnacare in the end). As long as you are having regular periods I would guess that you do weigh enough, but perhaps it's also worth checking that you're eating a good diet and taking a good (pregnancy appropriate) multivitamin.

I think being naturally thin and therefore having a low or low-ish BMI is very different than having a low BMI because you are forcibly keeping your weight v low due to extreme dieting, exercise, eating disorders, etc., because of the stress, ill health, lack of nutrition and so on involved in the latter. My Mum is naturally thin (thanks, Dad, for giving me your genes in this area ) and had two kids no problem. She also chose to put on weight last year as was getting too scrawny and my advice below is based on what she was told and also worked out for herself.

I would second Jess' idea of naturally fatty food, as opposed to junk food and lots of sugar; have full-fat dairy everything, cheese, don't trim the fat off meat, oily fish, avocado and also, macadamia nuts are full of natural fats (dieters are told to avoid those). Coconut milk and cream can be fattening (as my hips can tell you), so if you like stir-fries and curries, don't be stingy with our pal Mr Coconut.

You could also try protein shakes like bodybuilders use. I don't mean the mental ones with terrifying names like 'MUSCLEMADNESSMAXXXX', but a nice whey or soy protein shake, which you could make into a smoothie with coconut milk/cream, macadamias, fruit and maybe a scoop of quality vanilla ice-cream, would do the trick.

PS You can have some of my fat for free, if you like. SWAPSY!

Awwww, there I was wanting to try some MUSCLEMADNESSMAXXXXX. Shit. And I have heard of macadamias I think , but thought they were some kind of Scottish educational establishment.

God, I crack myself up.

Seriously, lovely ones, thanks for your advice. Operation Fat is a ago. I may also start doing some bulk building exercise, as muscle weighs more than fat. So they say.

Aries just a quick post cus I'm late for work but a girl I worked with sounded of similar build to you and she drank Complan to get her weight up before falling pregnant. Someone might have already suggested that but no time to check!

What is this Complan of which you speak? And does it actually get you pregnant?

My friend is far too skinny and she says its body fat that is important as below a certain level you don't ovulate like her. But as long as you do ovulate you should be ok.

Oh yes, you could go and get day 1-3 and day 24 (of cycle) blood tests to check you're ovulating / progesterone levels.

A friend of mine has always had a BMI of 18 even though she eats like a horse and has two children.

Can I ask, is it that you have been trying for a while without success yet or are you just planning ahead...if the latter then try not to worry too much (easier said than done) and maybe speak to your GP if you have been trying for a while.

I don't know much about it but the amount of protein in your diet may make a difference: protein study so worth considering the composition of your diet more than worry about your actual weight.

Also, DH/DP eating pumpkin seeds (high in zinc) is also meant to be good for sperm motility.

I think if it's just your natural size it doesn't really matter. I know a few women BMi 18ish who have got pg no probs

i'm 5ft 2 and 7 stone. This is the weight i was when i fell pregnant with ds. I had irregular periods back then. After DS was born my weight went up to 8 and half stone and my periods settled into a regular cycle. I lost the extra weight through stress and now i've come off the pill to TTC again my periods are irregular again so i'm trying to put a bit more weight on to see if it helps but as you probably know actually trying to put weight on if you are naturally slender is actually very hard work.

I have a BMI of 19 and am naturally slim (no exercise etc). I got pregnant v quickly - have now had my daughter - so don't worry - it shouldn't affect your ability to get pregnant unless your periods have stopped or are very irregular (after obviously allowing time for cycle to settle down after coming off the pill - assuming you were on the pill). As others have said it would be slightly different if you starved yourself or exercised lots of stay that thin as you would/could ssentially send your body into starvation mode which might affect pregnancy chances. However sounds like that isn't the case - good luck

But if you do want to gain weight then yes, perhaps try those protein shakes/full fat milk etc. Or just make sure you eat a couple of extra pieces of toast/servings of pasta a day. I don't think it sounds as though you need to though so enjoy being slim for now - pregnancy certainly makes you feel less than slim at points

I have a friend who has a BMI of 17 pre pregnancy and she was boarding on having a problem, the MW and doctors said the same as has been mentioned above, that if you are having periods and ovulating then your should fall pregnant. BUT once you are pregnant you need to ensure you eat enough as your body will look after you before the baby and therefore need to ensure enough nutrients to go baby.

I am 5ft2 and was always hovering around 8st to 8st2. when I started getting checked out, the gynae I saw raised concerns about my weight and was wondering if it may be too low. I actually ended up putting on about 4 or 5lbs while on holiday in Italy (5 course meals every night as well as plenty of beer and wine!) and fell pg 2 cycles later, after not having lost that weight. I know it?s purely anecdotal, but I do think it may have had a bearing.

My weight is partly genetic and partly due to a lot of exercise, and the gynae thought that it was the exercise that might have been having the affect ? I kept up with the same levels of that, just was heavier.

So, my advice is, book a weeks holiday in italy and trough as much as you like!!

That's interesting Cosmo - I'm 5ft3 and always been 8st2, and no-one has ever mentioned it (seen GP x 3 and gynae x 2 re: failure to conceive). Ah well, more Cherry Garcia for me.

Yes, but no offence ladies, but 5 ft 2 is pretty weeny! That sounds like a nice healthy petite weight to me. And you can get away with buying kids' clothes with no VAT. Bargain. Ski told me to ask you about it, Cossie as she knew I'd raised a concern. But I'll give the lots of eating and drinking a go - sadly the holiday in Italy with lots of 5 course meals isn't an option, but never mind.

I agree, Aries - I don't think I'm particularly slim, let alone problematically so, and I'm surprised that it was raised as an issue by Cosmo's gynae.

I've just had extra chees and biccies and wine to be on the safe side though!

I would LOVE an excuse to eat a few more naughty things. Have suspected anaemia (another blood test i am waiting the results for!) so at least i have a good excuse to drink guinness and eat dark chocolate :D

Aries I am 5ft 6 and weigh 8st 5lbs - same pre preg and I had no probs - midwife said I was fine. I did gain quite a lot of weight in pregnancy - my body just did what it needed to do. But do whatever you feel is best for you and to help you get pregnant - you will know best - it's your body!

I think it was the exercise that made her ask tbh, because it can cause ov to stop I think, and at the time I was doing a fair bit as it was in the run up to my 24 hour race - in general terms I was only just classed as underweight for my height.