This is one of a series of news items from abstracts of studies presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine as complied by Dr. David Meldrum, Scientific Director of Reproductive Partners. We appreciate the enormous amount of work it takes to compile and comment on these abstracts.

  You bet it does.  

893 women were analyzed for the effects of weight on IVF outcome. Compared to women with a normal BMI, women with BMI over 35 had significantly lower peak estrogen level, number of eggs retrieved, total embryos, a 60% lower birth rate, and a 29% greater incidence of immature eggs. Underweight women also had a higher incidence of egg immaturity.

These factors together with the marked increase of extreme prematurity in pregnancy makes a strong case that women with a BMI over 35 should reduce before being offered IVF, even by surgical means if required. These findings also may suggest that dosing of fertility drugs and hCG is inadequate in these very heavy women. It is also possible that the hCG may be injected into buttock fat where absorption may be poor rather than in the muscle where it’s intended to go.

The lower oocyte maturity in underweight women could be due to dietary factors.

For more information see our Lifestyle pages where you can link to Dr. Meldrum's website for detailed information

 For more information see our Lifestyle pages where you can link to Dr. Meldrum's website for detailed information