Can weight loss surgery help with infertility?

There is a strong association between obesity and infertility, and weight loss can increase fertility in obese women.

It is believed that the rise in obesity is partly to blame for the rise in infertility. But new studies are proving that surgical weight loss procedures have helped many couples in their effort to become pregnant.

As an added benefit, significant weight loss in obese women prior to pregnancy also greatly reduced serious maternal and fetal complications during pregnancy including gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders, such as preeclampsia.

An excess of fat cells negatively impacts hormone production. The considerable weight-loss (often 100 pounds or more) achieved by women who undergo weight loss surgery reduces the strain on the body’s ability to operate at an optimal level.

Significant weight loss can also improve the regularity of menstrual cycles and increase ovulation rate in anovulatory (non-ovulating) obese women. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), another common cause of infertility in overweight women, improves as well.

All of these physical improvements increase the potential of getting pregnant.

https://youtu.be/ZM0AKJokYiU (video of Dr. Eibes)