Weight loss and infertility issues

Hannah Sullivan46 said:I’m jumping back into this thread because I actually beat anorexia back in high school.
Even though my cycle has been totally regular for years and everything seems fine, that food anxiety never really leaves you—anorexia always leaves a mark, right? And honestly, the fear of gaining weight is still terrifying. (I'm about 5'6" and 110 lbs)
I really want to have kids, but the idea that I have to "eat for two" absolutely haunts me.
Do women even need to eat more during pregnancy?
I read somewhere that most of the weight gain comes from blood volume, the baby, the placenta, etc., and that anything else just depends on how much an individual woman eats.
Is that just some urban legend?

I can't remember the exact details off the top of my head, and I don't have the link handy...
Just Google it...
It basically breaks down like this:
- part of it goes toward increased blood volume and your whole circulatory system
- then there's the placenta
- then the baby itself (around 3.5 inches at first)
- then amniotic fluid
- plus water retention in your own body
That accounts for about 18 pounds right there.
You usually lose about that much during delivery, but it’s all so different for everyone.
Every person is unique—it's like they say, every body is different.

There's really no reason to freak out about it.
You’ll gain whatever you gain based on what you eat. 🤷
They throw a few hormones at you, but mostly it's a psychological game where one day you feel one way and the next day another.

I had a roommate back in college who only gained about 16 pounds.
She was super careful, barely eating anything besides yogurt and kiwi (and bits of other stuff).
She gave birth to a healthy 8.4 lb baby.

Then you have those people who put on 55 pounds...

Every case is its own thing...

Hannah Sullivan46 said:I wanted to jump into this conversation because I actually beat anorexia back in high school.
Even though my cycle has been totally regular for years and everything seems fine on paper, that underlying food anxiety hasn't quite vanished—I suppose once you deal with an eating disorder, there’s always a lingering shadow left behind. The fear of gaining weight still hits me hard (I'm about 5'6" and roughly 110 lbs).
I truly want to have children, but the idea that I have to "eat for two" absolutely terrifies me.
Is it actually a requirement for women to eat more during pregnancy?
I've read some things suggesting that most of the weight gain comes from blood volume, the baby itself, and the placenta, and that any extra weight is really just down to how much an individual woman's appetite fluctuates.
Is that just some old wives' tale?

The whole "eating for two" thing is definitely an old wives' tale.
You'll naturally end up eating more because your hormones will likely drive your appetite up, and you do need to make sure you're getting all those essential vitamins for the baby.
That said, you don't have to overindulge. You certainly don't *have* to go on a binge of potato chips and candy, but if you do, you're going to gain weight—which is completely normal. Whether you end up gaining 20 pounds or 50 is really up to you.

Well, fine then. I actually thought it was just some old wives' tales.
A woman doesn't even have to put on extra weight during pregnancy, and honestly, those persistent myths drive me crazy.

crimsongull4 said:Here’s the situation. I wanted to get some female perspectives on this.
I searched the forums for a topic like this but came up empty. You can read just about anything online, so I figured I'd ask you all directly.
My wife and I are arguing over the link between being underweight and fertility—specifically, if it actually makes getting pregnant harder.
For example: 5'4" and 86 lbs.

What's your take?

If she’s just naturally thin—meaning she’s healthy and her cycles are regular—I don't see much reason to doubt her ability to conceive.

Weight alone doesn't dictate fertility. There is a massive difference between someone who is naturally slender and eats well versus someone struggling with an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia.

If she’s eating a normal amount but just can’t seem to put on any weight, she should probably get her thyroid checked out. Basically, if your thyroid is overactive, you stay skinny no matter how much you eat, and honestly, thyroid issues can mess with fertility too.

You didn't mention if you guys have actually been trying to conceive without luck yet, or if you're just asking hypothetically?

A low BMI isn't really enough info to go on, though. I mean, if she doesn't have much muscle mass, that drags the weight down even more—since muscle weighs more than fat—but she could still have enough body fat to support female hormones. And where that fat is located matters a lot, too. If it's mostly in her hips and thighs rather than her stomach—you know, a pear shape—that usually means better fertility.

Having a regular cycle doesn't necessarily mean everything is fine, though it might. There are cycles where ovulation actually happened, and then there are ones where it didn't. You can have women who bleed every single month but rarely, if ever, actually ovulate, which makes getting pregnant pretty tough.

At the end of the day, it’s all so individual. My mom was super thin and had really narrow hips, so she was terrified she wouldn't even be able to deliver a baby through them. But she got pregnant twice without any issues, delivered totally fine, and then later on, she actually had to work hard to *avoid* getting pregnant.