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Weight loss injections & IVF
Medically reviewed by
Alexandra Cristina Cowell, Writer & Clinical Content Reviewer
Weight loss injections can be a useful tool to prepare you for IVF. A low BMI and healthy metabolic environment could improve the chances of successful IVF treatment, and set you up for a healthy pregnancy. But you’ll need to wait around two months after using weight loss treatment before you can start trying to conceive with IVF, and you can’t use weight loss injections while pregnant or breastfeeding.
How does your weight affect fertility?
Weight plays a complex role in reproductive health. Research shows that carrying excess weight, especially around the abdomen, is associated with lower levels of a protein called sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). SHBG is produced by your liver and binds with sex hormones like androgens and oestrogen, carrying them around your body.
Low levels of SHBG can increase the risk of irregular menstrual cycles and anovulation (which is where the ovaries don’t release an egg). One study found that living with obesity at 23 years of age increased the risk of menstrual problems by age 33. It also found that those with obesity at 23 were less likely to conceive within 12 months of stopping contraception than women in a lower weight range – 66.4% of women with obesity conceived, compared to 81.4% of women in an average weight range. These effects on fertility carry over to assisted reproduction like IVF, too.
Obesity can affect fertility in men, as well. Research shows that obesity can reduce testosterone levels in men, which can impact sperm count and motility. It can also cause DNA fragmentation in sperm cells, increasing cell death, and affect the genetic information that can be passed on to future generations.
Can weight loss injections make IVF more successful?
Yes, it’s thought that losing weight with GLP-1 treatment could increase fertility in people with obesity. This could improve chances of conceiving through IVF.
In women with obesity, evidence suggests that weight loss injections can improve ovulation rates and help to regulate the menstrual cycle. For men, losing weight with GLP-1 treatment could improve levels of reproductive hormones in the blood, sperm motility and movement, and sexual function.
But more human studies are needed to better explore the extent they can help with fertility, and whether it’s simply due to weight loss, or a direct effect on the reproductive system.
A high BMI may also require a larger dose of stimulating injections during IVF treatment. These are used to improve follicle growth in the ovaries, which increases the chances of multiple eggs maturing and being released in a single cycle. A higher dose of injections can be linked to a poorer response to them, which can impact the number of eggs collected during retrieval for IVF.
Maintaining a healthy, balanced metabolic environment is also really important during pregnancy. Women with obesity have been shown to have increased resistance to insulin in early pregnancy, which is linked with gestational diabetes (high blood sugar levels during pregnancy), glucose intolerance (a precursor to type 2 diabetes), and gestational hypertension (high blood pressure during pregnancy).
Can you use weight loss injections during IVF?
No. You should never use weight loss injections while trying to conceive. You should stop taking weight loss injections at least two months before beginning IVF treatment. It’s because there isn’t enough clinical data on how weight loss injections could affect you and your developing baby during pregnancy. This two month period gives enough time for the medicine to leave your system before IVF treatment begins.
What are the risks of using weight loss injections during IVF?
The main risk of using weight loss injections during IVF is actually one of the ways it helps with weight loss; it delays how quickly food leaves your stomach and passes through your digestive system.
You’ll be sedated during egg retrieval for IVF, and you’ll be required to fast beforehand to make sure there’s no food in your stomach. Otherwise, food, saliva, or vomit can enter your airways while you’re under anaesthesia. But because weight loss injections slow how quickly your stomach empties, it can cause food to remain in your stomach even after fasting – increasing the risk of complications during egg retrieval.
An important part of IVF treatment is diet, too. You’ll need to eat a healthy and varied diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats to support follicular development. Weight loss injections are powerful appetite suppressants, and using them during IVF treatment can make it difficult to eat the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
Will I regain weight during IVF?
It’s possible, yes. IVF involves significant changes to your hormones, alongside physical stress. This can lead to bloating and water retention during treatment. But improvements made to your diet, lifestyle, and metabolism during your time on weight loss injections can provide a healthier baseline for this process.
It’s important not to focus too much on what the scales say during egg retrieval or transfer. Your focus should shift from losing weight to supporting your nutrition during this time. It’s much more important to eat a varied diet that’s high in fresh fruit and vegetables, protein, and healthy fats, than it is to focus on weight loss during IVF treatment.
It’s recommended that around 40-50% of your calories should come from healthy carbs – like whole grains, fruit and vegetables. 25-35% should be from lean protein, like chicken, fish, tofu, or legumes. The final 20-30% should be from healthy fats, like those found in avocado, nuts, or olive oil.
Can you use weight loss injections during pregnancy?
No. Weight loss injections are strictly contraindicated during pregnancy. While there isn’t a lot of human evidence on whether weight loss injections could be harmful to a developing baby, there are reports from animal studies that GLP-1 treatment could pose risks during pregnancy. If you have a positive pregnancy test while using weight loss injections, stop using the treatment immediately and speak to your clinician.
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How does being overweight affect my fertility? Your Fertility.
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Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG). NHS Gloucestershire Hospitals. Dec 27.
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Impact of obesity on infertility in women. Journal of the Turkish-German Gynecological Association. 16(2). pp.111-117.
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