Obesity-Related Infertility and the Role of Weight Loss

by Ruth Rosa Lenox on January 12, 2012

Obesity-Related Infertility and the Role of Weight Loss

Infertility is one of the major problems related to obesity and this problem is compounded with every pound rise in weight. Research says that every unit increase in BMI over 29 reduces the chances of fertility by 4%. Thus morbidly obese females have very low rate of fertility as compared to age-matched women with normal weight.

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Obesity hampers fertility in several ways; hormonal disturbances are thought to be the main cause of infertility in obese women. Obese females usually don’t have regular menstruation and ovulation which are cornerstones of achieving pregnancy. Another astonishing fact is that even those obese women who have regular menstruation and ovulation still have little chances of pregnancy. This fact was testified in a research by Dr. Van der Steeg, a medical researcher at the Academic Medical Center in The Netherlands. This means the mechanism behind low fertility rate in obesity is very complex and many missing links are yet to be elucidated.

Losing weight improves many obesity related problems and if weight loss is gradual, it also increases pregnancy rate. Weight loss improves fertility by several ways by removing the bad effects of obesity. Several studies have been published emphasizing the significance of weight loss in improving fertility. Some of the proposed mechanisms are as follows,

Weight loss reduces insulin resistance which is beneficial in improving fertility rate in women having polycystic ovarian disease. Insulin resistance is an important factor causing infertility in PCOS, when it is removed, hormonal disturbances also improve so is chance of getting pregnancy.

Weight loss helps improves menstrual irregularities in obese ladies and induces normal ovulatory cycles. This again increases the chances of pregnancy.

Having or achieving normal weight not only improves the chances of pregnancy but it is also helpful in reducing pregnancy related problems. Research has found that obese ladies entering pregnancy have more chances of getting gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertension, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, fetal abnormalities and difficult labor. This is again a valid reason for achieving normal weight before being pregnant.

Weight loss needs a solid commitment and a right selection of weight loss program. General measures (exercise and dieting) and medications are effective in losing weight in mild to moderate obesity (BMI 30-35) but morbid obesity (BMI more than 40) is a special issue which is best solved with Bariatric surgery. Weight loss surgery is extremely effective at losing weight in morbid obesity. The only remembering point is that weight loss surgery is a specialized surgery for which only dedicated Bariatric surgery hospital is a safe site. Don’t choose a substandard cheap weight loss surgery center that lacks many of the much needed facilities for safety of the patient.

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Obesity Worsens The Severity of Acute Pancreatitis

by Ruth Rosa Lenox on December 31, 2011

Obesity Worsens The Severity of Acute Pancreatitis

Obesity is a giant obstacle in the way of healthy living. It disturbs the function of almost every organ of our body. Pancreas is among the most important organs that serves many vital functions. It not only helps in digestion of food in the intestine by producing pancreatic juice but also the main source of insulin in our body. Increased body fat (as in case of obesity) is a danger for severe inflammation of pancreas called acute pancreatitis. This inflammation may lead to a number of complications including death.

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Acute pancreatitis is a condition in which inflammation of pancreas cause severe pain in upper abdomen along with symptoms like vomiting, low blood pressure and others depending upon the severity of pancreatitis. Almost 80% patients suffer mild pancreatitis while 20% patients have severe pancreatitis with local and systemic complications. But in case of obesity more and more complications occur.

Complications of acute pancreatitis can be divided into local complications and systemic complications. Local complications include necrosis and inflammation of the pancreas, necrosis of the colon, rupture of spleen and bleeding from gastrointestinal tract. Systemic complications include coagulopathy (deranged function of blood clotting), hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, renal failure, respiratory failure and hypovolumic shock. The consequences of pancreatitis in the long run may be pancretitic insufficiency in which pancreas is not able to produce pancreatic juice and digestive system is affected badly as well as diabetes mellitus.

How Obesity Enhances Severity of Pancreatitis?

Research shows that fat tissue of our body serves endocrine function and releases substances called adipokines which are main culprit in producing severe inflammation of pancreas. Severity of obesity is directly related to severity of acute pancreatitis. Obesity is considered one of the prognostic factors in acute pancreatitis so patients who have normal weight recover from pancreatitis easily without acquiring complications while those who are obese suffer complications of pancreatitis more frequently. Some of the facts about obesity and complications of acute pancreatitis are as follows,

  1. Obese patients have more severe inflammation of pancreas than non-obese patients
  2. Systemic and local complications of acute pancreatitis are seen more frequently than in patients with normal weight
  3. Chances of dying in acute pancreatitis are more in obese people than in non-obese patients

Conclusion

The above discussion signifies the importance of normal weight in bearing the stress of acute pancreatits. Obesity is a life threatening condition that should be addressed seriously. Good thing about the complications of the obesity is that most of them are reversible if weight reduction is done in time. Losing weight remains challenge in morbid obesity where simple measures like dieting and exercise don’t prove much effective in significant weight loss. In case of morbid obesity in which patient has BMI more than 40 the only effective and time tested measure is weight loss or bariatric surgery.

The beauty of bariatric surgery is that it has a number of options individualized to need of people selecting this wonderful way of losing weight. Effectiveness of bariatric surgery is above board; people who undergo bariatric surgery procedures at specialized bariatric surgery hospitals feel the difference in weeks. Many complications of obesity are cured automatically when patient comes to normal weight. Important thing to remember is that bariatric surgery is a specialized type of surgery that should only be done by experienced surgeon in safe environment. Both experienced surgeon and safety of procedure is only available at dedicated bariatric surgery hospitals not in substandard surgery centers.

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Obesity Increases the Risk of Gout

December 21, 2011

Obesity Increases the Risk of GoutObesity causes many joint problems and gout is one which has strong association with obesity. It has been found that prevalence of gout in obese people is very much higher than in persons having normal weight. American health statistics say that prevalence of gout is 1% ( 1 in 100 [...]

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Exercise is always a “Must” to maintain the Weight after Surgery

September 28, 2011

Exercise is always a “Must” to maintain the Weight after SurgeryExercise after a weight loss surgery is essential for the patient to maintain his/her weight and to keep those extra pounds in the curb, a statement which Christopher Still, director of “Geisinger Obesity Institute” in Pennsylvania strongly agrees with. Whenever we lose the pounds we [...]

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How is Depression Related to Obesity?

September 23, 2011

How is Depression Related to Obesity?You might ask, are obesity and depression related to each other? This is the proverbial chicken and egg scenario of which comes first. People who are morbidly obese or overweight often suffer from depression and low self esteem. Depressed people often become obese as time goes by, because depression by [...]

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Obesity can cause Depression while Depression can cause Obesity

August 12, 2011

Obesity can cause Depression while Depression can cause ObesityAccording to Dutch researchers, they have found out that there is truly a corresponding link between obesity and depression. Their factual compiled data suggests that being obese can escalate the chances of depression in people who are initially not depressed by 55 percent. Depression on the other [...]

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Obesity and Weight Loss Surgery in the Teenage Population

August 12, 2011

Obesity and Weight Loss Surgery in the Teenage PopulationTeenage life is the most exciting stage in every person’s life. We experience a lot of changes when we reach this stage; from physical change, psychological and even emotional change. This is the period when we love experimenting, discovering and exploring life sometimes without regard of the [...]

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Correlation between Depression and Obesity

August 5, 2011

Correlation between Depression and ObesityAt a certain point in your life, have you ever felt being unhappy and miserable? That moment when you feel like you are at your lowest point and nothing is going right. Well, frankly speaking, you are suffering from what we call depression. Depression refers to a mental state in which [...]

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Coronary Artery Disease Statistics, Facts

July 23, 2011

Coronary Artery Disease Statistics, FactsOne of the most vital organs of the human body is the heart. It is located anterior to the vertebral column and posterior to the sternum and weighs around 250-350 grams. The heart is a muscular organ responsible for pumping oxygenated blood through blood vessels throughout the body. It is also [...]

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Sleeve Gastrectomy Benefits on Co-Morbidities

July 8, 2011

Sleeve Gastrectomy Benefits on Co-MorbiditiesGastric Sleeve Surgery, or sleeve gastrectomy surgery, has been shown to benefit many co-morbidities including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea and more. Today we’re looking at just how well sleeve gastrectomy can benefit patients who have these conditions. Type 2 Diabetes – 66% of patients have been cured, and about [...]

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