Obesity and Fertility

This book outlines the current understanding of how obesity affects female reproductive function across the lifespan. Topics include physiology of the menstrual cycle and early pregnancy, best practices in the delivery of contraceptive and prenatal care and healthcare policy that weighs the evidence in appropriate balance with principles that respect women's rights. Special attention is devoted to the idea that obesity's adverse effects are likely trans-generational; that is, children born to obese mothers are at increased risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life. Patients and their physicians need to be aware of the additional risks obesity confers in pregnancy and outline a plan of care that includes counseling preconceptionally, antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum in order to decrease morbidity. Obesity and Fertility provides advice for reproductive medicine physicians and gynecologists to help guide obese patients toward improved reproductive health and outcomes.

Reviews the mechanisms linking preconceptional obesity to reproductive concerns Describes the variety of repercussions that obesity can have on fertility and ways to prevent them Considers cases where obesity is regarded as a cause of disparity in fertility care

Autorentext
Emily S. Jungheim, MD, MS is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine and a staff physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Missouri Baptist Medical Center.

Inhalt
Introduction to Obesity and Fertility.- Obesity and the HPO axis.- Childhood and Adolescent Obesity: Implications for Reproductive Health and Function.- Nutrition in Human Fertility.- Preconceptional Obesity and Fetal OutcomesTransdisciplinary Evidence for Obesity's Effects on Fertility.- Fertility Treatment Outcomes in Obese Women.- Early Pregnancy in Obese Women.- Obesity in Pregnancy.- Contraceptive Counseling in Obese Women.- Obesity and Ovarian Aging (Diminished Ovarian Reserve and Menopause).- Obesity, Reproductive Outcomes, and Access to Infertility Treatments: A Clinical and Ethical Debate.- Surgical Interventions and Reproductive Function in Obese Women.- Conclusions: Establishing an Ethically and Medically Sound Framework for Integrating BMI Limits Into Infertility Care for Obese Women.