My husband and I have been trying to conceive for over two years now. I have an endocrine disorder that makes conceiving pretty difficult d\t ovulation issues and we have done pretty much every fertility treatment, except for in vitro (d\t the cost..my insurance doesn't cover infertility. It's a complete crock but don't get me started on that.) Finally our doc said losing weight was about my only chance so that's what I'm doing. I've lost 101 pounds and my periods have returned to normal (i was only having a period once or twice a year). I want to lose another 40 and then I'll be at my goal. It's funny how I struggled and struggled to lose weight but until the thought of never being able to have a family entered my head, I just couldn't find the motivation. I have a renewed hope and I am just waiting every so patiently for our miracle. My husband says that if after struggling to lose over a hundred pounds and doing all these painful and invasive fertility treatments that if we don't get our baby soon he's going to have a serious beef with God.

It sad but true that being heavy can affect fertility in so many ways. Just 30 extra pounds can cause disruptions in the hormones that control ovulation.  Plus it increase the risk of birth defects, miscarriage, gestation diabetes. I guess I needed this kick in the pants to get me in gear. It good that you are planning ahead and getting healthy before trying to conceive. Trust me, you don't want to experience the pain of trying month after month after month and coming up empty handed.

You are so smart to lose weight and get healthy before becoming pregnant...it takes a lot of energy to carry & deliver a child.  To be in the best health you can is sure going to make it easier for you.  I wish you the best on the weight loss journey and starting your family.  Hugs, SisterC

well i know i have no problem getting pregnant lol, or having healthy babys (my first two were perfect) and we know he gan get me pregnant, but together we just cant have a baby and no one knows why, or the come up with stupid reasons, the doctor actually told us it was because we were new to each other since we havent been together for 5yrs, how stupid is that lol, hopefully being more healthy will work!! ill do anything to have a healthy baby, my boys want a little sister lol

I'm not planning on having any more kids, but I was overweight when I got pregnant with my 2nd son.  Overall it was a healthy pregnancy and he's perfectly healthy, thank God.  I was a lot more tired though than I was with my first son (I had my first 6 years earlier and weighed a lot less back then.)  I'd get sore and achy a lot easier too.  Granted there's no guarantee any of this had to do with my weight, but it could have.

It's always a good idea to get into the best shape you can and be as healthy as you can be before you get pregnant.  Best of luck to you!

Oh, Ashley... I'm so sorry! I can't even imagine.

I was also surprised to learn what a big impact weight can have on fertility and pregnancy. I've never had a baby, and I've never tried, so I guess I really don't know what my fertility is. However, I know that several of the women in my family have been quite heavy, conceived, and given birth to healthy babies. However, a lot of them died young from health problems or had difficult pregnancies. My paternal grandmother gave birth to several 10 pound babies (ouch) and that is probably because of her weight, and my maternal grandmother lost 40 pounds during both of her pregnancies because she was so sick. She was a large woman (and died at 40) and that's how she was able to lose so much each time.

My little sister had a baby 3 months ago, and she looks amazing already. I know that *** feeding helped her lose some weight, but she was skinny to begin with.

A woman with my BMI is only recommended to gain 5-10 pounds during a pregnancy. But...fat chance (haha). Seriously, there's no way I'd be able to gain only 5 pounds. If I look at some pizza, I gained weight.

Anyway, good luck on losing some weight and getting yourself healthy.

I think a baby is an incredibly motivating goal... it's funny, but almost nothing else motivates me. My health? eh. My looks? eh...

But the idea of losing weight and being able to have a beautiful baby is very uplifting.

i have two wonderful boys, 6 and 4yrs, with my ex husband. my fiancee and i were trying to a baby together in the last 8mths we have had 3 miscarrages, which the first 2 were really hard on us. it was my first lose, and his first baby ever. after this last one a few weeks ago, i decided that i wanted to loose weight before geting pregnant again, and give my body and mind some time to heal. i was never given a reason on why we lost the first baby, the second one was due to it being so soon after the 1st, and well the 3rd, we will never know either. both of us are very able to have babies, we know that but i never thought that it could be due to being over weight, since im the same size now i was with my youngest son. thats good to know that if i become healthy maybe ill have a chance this time! (and its good to know that im not the only one that wants to be skinny before i gain alot of weight lol

I'm in the same boat, My husband and I want to have another baby. We have two boys, 5 and 4 right now. I have lost pregnancies in the past, it was hard all I did was eat after them, gained weight.  Now we have wanted a baby for a while now, and I have lost some weight I want to lose a little more. So, I know like all the other ladies have said, we all know what your going though.  Just take one day at a time and I often think when I am working out... seeing myself thin and running around chasing my kids, and being able to keep up with them!

Okay, then there are a few of us. :-) That actually makes me feel a lot better!

I see we all have a similar time frame, and I know it can be done.

Sometimes it's so discouraging to look at the scale. I'm not sure I want to weigh myself every week. I'm actually thinking of taking waist and hip measurements a few times a week, and maybe weighing myself every other week.

Of course, then I might be able to slip because I won't have constant motivation. Hmm... something to think about.

Right now I have one of those non-digital scales, and I feel like it's not accurate. I think I'm going to buy one of those nice digital ones so that when I do weigh myself, i can see the small changes. 

I wish you all so much luck- and thanks for responding. It feels good to know I'm thinking the right way, and that other people know how I feel.

Wow.  This is a great motivation for you and you are so wise to be thinking what would be ideal for you before you are pregnant.  Being overweight does have a downside in labor too.  Stamina for labor can be difficult and if you choose an epidural, the placement can be difficult in overweight women.  I also find that monitoring the baby and contractions can be an issue with the extra "layers" so to speak.  You are already being a good mom thinking ahead. 

=)

That is one of the reasons I'm trying to lose weight. My hubby and I want to start trying in 2 years (after our 5 year anniversary). Looking ahead, I want to be healthy and ready when the times comes.