How Being Obese Can Affect Pregnancy?

Let's talk a little bit about obesity and pregnancy. First of all, it's important to know that obesity does affect fertility, so if you are obese and you're having difficulty getting pregnant, maybe talk to your doctor about ways that you can try to lose weight and, hopefully, improve your fertility. 

With that being said, people who are obese and get pregnant can have a trickier pregnancy. Obesity and pregnancy can lead to gestational diabetes, which can lead to larger birth weight for the baby and maybe even low blood sugar in the baby once he or she is born. So, a healthy pregnancy really is one where you have a healthy weight, if possible.

If you're trying to lose weight and also want to get pregnant, a good piece of advice is try to wait until your weight loss has plateaued before you get pregnant because then your body will be better able to support yourself as well as the developing fetus. I have patients who want to get pregnant after weight loss surgery and it's perfectly safe to do so. However, we do recommend that patients wait at least a year, sometimes a year and a half, after their weight loss surgery to get pregnant. Therefore, their weight loss has plateaued and they're more likely to have a healthier pregnancy and a healthier baby. 

The take-home message really is a healthier pregnancy is possible if you're at a healthier weight. So, if you're able to try to lose weight before getting pregnant, I highly suggest that you try to do that.

About video: Learn how being obese can affect pregnancy in this Howcast video.