Do you know that your weight affects your fertility? You do. That's great. I HAD NO IDEA. 

When I first started trying to get pregnant I had an additional 40 lbs on me. (Thanks PCOS, you are a peach!). When things did not work out after a while, I went to see an RE.

I still cringe when I think of my innocent self in that ill-mannared man's office: 

"So first off, before we even begin testing, I just want you to know that I won't accept any patients who have over a certain BMI. You are right at that limit, and I think you should lose some weight before we do anything else."

Who the what now?

What does my BMI have to do with getting pregnant? Isn't being pregnant the one time in our lives when we do not have to worry about this stuff and we can eat gloriously for two? 

Apparently not. 

What I learned after that effective slap in the face is that my soon-to-be-ex doctor was right. Weight affects your fertility. If you are underweight (below 19 BMI) - you can stop ovulating all together. If you are overweight or obese, you may still ovulate, but your cycles tend to get longer and longer. Especially if you weight is a symptom of your PCOS. Part of this is because fat cells produce estrogen. If you have too much estrogen in your system than your body reacts as if it is on birth control.  Ugh! 

Okay. So what's next? How do you know if you weight is effecting your fertility. The biggest clue lies in our menstrual cycle. If your cycles are shorter than 25 days or longer than 34, then yes, weight may be a factor for you. 

The key then is to find a doctor who will work with you. One who - unlike mine - is understanding and realizes the weight is a SYMPTOM of a much larger issue that needs to be addressed first. 

Anyone have any research that they have on this topic or any part of it they would like to discuss? Did you know this?