The answer is “Yes”. Being too fat affects an ability to get pregnant. However, being too skinny can make it difficult for women to conceive as well.

An indicator to measure body fatness is BMI (Body Mass Index). Pregnancy opportunities of women based on BMI value are following:

• A BMI between 14-18 is considered very thin. The chance that women will deliver a healthy newborn is only 34%.
• A BMI between 19-28 is healthy weight or slight overweight. The chance that women will deliver a healthy newborn is 50%.
• A BMI between 29-43 means overweight or obesity. The chance that women will deliver a healthy newborn is 45%.

Women who are underweight will have “a secretion disorder of pituitary gland hormones”. The condition makes an anovulation then leads fertility problems respectively.

Women who are overweight, especially for those who are paunchy, their body will produce the abnormal estrogen. Since estrogen is produced from fat. When the body has excessive fat, the production of estrogen which is related to female ovulation will be affected. As a result of the abnormal estrogen, women will experience anovulation, menstrual spotting, amenorrhea. These conditions can lead fertility problems as well. Moreover, obese women have an increased risk of pregnancy complications such as diabetes, high blood pressure, miscarriage or abnormal labor. 

Therefore, we recommend women to control their bodyweight. Not too skinny or too fat. Overweight women should reduce their bodyweight for 5-10%. After that, mostly of them can retrieve a normal ovulation within 6 months spontaneously.

Reference:

– https://th.theasianparent.com/is-to-thin-pose-as-fertility-problem?fbclid=IwAR1kENiWl8_-Cb4bSqbblW8aEqeVD1iJB87nJqIv-vPXn5gERx5O9lh2BTo

– https://www.bangkokhospital.com/content/overweight-women-are-more-likely-to-face-polycystic-ovary-syndrome

– https://www.praram9.com/อ้วนหรือผอมเกินไปจะมีบ/