Optimise Your Fertility
-Not Worth the Weight-
Health, fitness levels, diet and body weight are all important considerations for both women and men in the preconception period.
Being a healthy weight increases your chances of having a baby. If men or women are overweight it can take longer to conceive, and sometimes even prevent you from falling pregnant at all.
The hard fact is that as of 2015, nearly two-thirds (63%) of Australian adults were overweight or obese, and obesity is on the rise. This means that most of us have a problem with getting to a healthy weight. We want to help you understand how to improve your chance of getting pregnant and how even a small weight loss can help you conceive and have a healthy baby!
One way to measure whether you're in a healthy weight range is using the Body Mass Index (BMI) which provides an index of your weight range in relation to your height. BMI is a useful measurement for most people over 18 years old. But it is only an estimate and it doesn’t take into account age, ethnicity, gender or body composition. We recommend you also check your waist measurement and other risk factors and speak to your Doctor, Health Practitioner or the Compass Allied Health Team about your weight.
A healthy BMI is considered to be between 18.5 and 25. This is generally good for your health. The challenge is to maintain that weight, and not put on weight as you get older.
If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, your BMI is within the overweight category. There are many benefits of moving towards a healthier weight, and even losing a small amount of weight can deliver major health benefits.
If your BMI is 30 or over, you are within the obese category. In this range you are at increased risk for many diseases and health conditions. Even a small weight loss greatly improves your health and fertility chances.