05/04/2022
A woman’s weight can affect her fertility. We know that at both extremes, very thin and obese, that there can be disruption of the normal process of regular, consistent ovulation.
Medications can be used to induce ovulation in these women in an attempt to become pregnant.
Another issue related to body weight and IVF is safety for the patient at the egg retrieval.
When a woman is significantly overweight, the ovaries are usually pushed up “high” – away from the top of the va**na by the extra fatty tissue that is in the pelvis.
At the time of IVF, the needle is pushed in va**nally to reach the eggs in the ovaries.
If the ovaries are too high, we can not safely get the needle into the follicles to get the eggs out.
Another problem is that the ultrasound images become very “fuzzy” from the extra tissue between the probe and the o***y.
Therefore, it is often difficult to clearly visualize the ovaries and the egg-containing follicles.
This makes it difficult to properly measure the follicles in the ovaries, and can also make it hard to be sure where the needle tip is located at all times during the egg retrieval procedure (a potential safety issue).
To maximise the chance of a successful pregnancy, we are now recommending that women get as close as possible to a healthy weight before starting treatment.
***mdonation ***mproblems
