A study warned that the children of women who were overweight before childbirth were 40% more likely to develop infertility.
Researchers from Denmark studied 9,232 adults, and found that nearly 9% of them were infertile.
The team found an association between a mothers’ weight during pregnancy and a greater risk of infertility in male children. But the same does not seem to apply to girls of overweight women.
Obesity causes a number of changes in the body that can have effects on a developing fetus – in particular, it leads to inflammation.
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It is believed that hormonal disorders, or mineral deficiencies, caused by obesity, can also slow down the growth of the unborn child.
Infertility is a global public health problem and it is important for research to focus on addressing risk factors, said author of the paper and epidemiologist, Lyn Arndt, of the Danish University of Aarhus.
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“These results add to the evidence that weight during pregnancy may also affect male reproductive health in the future,” Arendt added. “Prevention of weight gain during pregnancy may be an important tool for preserving fertility in future generations.”
In the researchers’ study, just over nine percent of the participants were infertile, which is lower than the global figures given the age of people who were in their 30s.
After accounting for potential confounding factors such as maternal age, smoking history, and alcohol habits, the team found that children of women whose BMI exceeded 25 kg before pregnancy were 40% more likely to have infertility.
Dr. Arendt explained that being overweight in the mother can affect the reproductive health of offspring through several possible mechanisms.
“Some chemicals that cause endocrine disruptions accumulate in adipose tissue and may become biologically available and enter the mother’s and fetus bloodstream during the restructuring of the mother’s fat stores during pregnancy,” she said.
Obesity is also associated with low-grade metabolic inflammation, and is a suggested factor in programming reproductive fitness early in life.
Previous studies in boys and girls have indicated that there may be a link between maternal weight gain and precocious puberty – in addition to other hormonal markers of reproductive health.
In males, being overweight in mothers has been found to increase the risk of genital abnormalities and reduce semen quality.
This study supports the hypothesis that maternal weight gain affects reproductive health in male offspring, but more studies are needed.
A previous study from the United States found that boys – not girls – born to obese mothers had worse motor skills at age three and lower IQ scores at seven.
She advises obese women to lose weight before pregnancy, for their own benefit and the health of their children.
The full results of the study are published in the journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.
Source: Daily Mail
