Does body weight affect the ability to conceive?

I can see that weight can be a fertility factor, but I don't think it is a direct cause of infertility. If anything, I think that weight would be more of an issue during and after pregnancy, not an issue in preventing pregnany.

I have been trying to get pregnant for 3 years. My doctor suggested losing weight...for overall health, not just to conceive. I lost 75 pounds - and still didn't gain a baby! When you are overweight, doctors tend to overlook other issues, and diagnose everything as a result of being overweight. I was in a bad accident several years ago and was taken to the emergency room. The doctor came in reading my chart indicating I had neck and back pain, and quickly told me I needed to lose weight to alleviate the pain. "Right," I said, "but what about the SUV that just pushed my car through an intersection, up over a curb, and into a block wall? If I was skinny would I have magically not been injured?" Then he finished reading the chart and saw that I was, indeed in a car accident. "Oh, I see. Let's do some x-rays." He was so quick to send me out the door with a prescription for a nutriionist, when, in fact, my pelvis had shifted!

We all know, or have seen, overweight or obese pregnant women - so weight is obviously not a preventive factor for all.

A rant on trying to conceive...

"It will happen, Shannon, just stop worrying about it, and it will happen."

I think if I hear this one more time, I will scream. What people don't understand is that I am worrying about it because I have been trying to get pregnant for 3 years. I don't run around telling everyone, "Hey, guess what? Today's a high fertility day...my husband and I had sex this morning!" You will never know the pain I go through. You will never understand the sinking feeling of despair I get every month when I start my period. You will never understand the disappointment and heartache I feel waiting to see two pink lines.

The truth is, just because I discuss my fertility issues with someone, does not mean I am asking for any baseless, unfounded, condescending advice. Maybe I just need to vent my fertility frustrations! You know you come to work every morning and complain about the traffic...do I give you silly advice about being patient? How many times have you been a passenger in a car and the driver doesn't yield to pedestrians in parking lots, makes a "California stop" or oopsie, runs a red light? What would your friend's reaction be if you said, "You know, insert name here, you should relax more. We'll get there, you don't have to rush!" Chances are, that person would look at you like you are crazy and tell you to shut the hell up! Of course, I am in no way trying to compare the pain of infertility to poor driving habits, just making a comparison about unwanted advice!

I am very happy for all of my friends and family that have been blessed with babies...I love my nieces and nephew more than life itself. I wish I lived closer to them so I could see them more often. Growing up, I always pictured my siblings & I raising our kids together. Now I wonder if I'll ever have babies of my own!