Being overweight doubles IVF miscarriage risk

Overweight women undergoing fertility treatment have double the risk of miscarriage of normal weight women, a UK study says.

More than a third of overweight and obese women had a miscarriage compared with one in five of normal weight women, a fertility conference heard
Being overweight doubles IVF miscarriage risk
Page last updated at 13:43 GMT, Monday, 28 June 2010 14:43 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version By Emma Wilkinson

Health reporter, BBC News, in Rome

Women should have a weight appropriate to their height Overweight women undergoing fertility treatment have double the risk of miscarriage of normal weight women, a UK study says.

More than a third of overweight and obese women had a miscarriage compared with one in five of normal weight women, a fertility conference heard.

Previous research has shown that women who conceive naturally are also at a higher risk if they are overweight.

Experts warned that obesity is putting women's fertility at risk.

The study in more than 300 women was carried out at the fertility clinic at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London.

All the women had been implanted with a single five-day-old embryo that had been fertilised in the laboratory.

Half of them had a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25, which is classed as overweight. Fourteen per cent had a BMI of 30 or more, which is classed as clinically obese.
in women with a BMI of over 25 there was a 35% miscarriage rate.

This compared with 21% in women with a BMI less than 25.

After taking into account factors that may influence the risk of miscarriage, such as age, and smoking history, they found the risk of miscarriage was double in the overweight group.