Most studies on fertility and obesity have always been about women. Although it is true that a woman's state of health and weight is pivotal in pregnancy, an emerging evidence suggests that it actually takes two to tango.

The Odds Of Infertility In Obese Couples

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found that couples in which both parties are obese may have about 55 to 59 percent difficulty getting pregnant as opposed to their non-obese counterparts.

The study involved 501 couples who were a part of the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) Study, an epidemiological study designed to look into the effects of environmental factors to human reproduction. The couples were followed up at least up to 12 months of trying to conceive.

They measured the participants' body mass index (BMI) and divided them into two subgroups: obese class I (BMI from 30 to 34.9) and the obese class II (a BMI of 35 or greater), which is on the extreme side of the scale.

Using a statistical measure called the fecundability odds ratio, the experts estimated the couples' likelihood of pregnancy with each menstrual cycle while they're trying to conceive in relation to their BMIs.

"Our results also indicate that fertility specialists may want to consider couples' body compositions when counseling patients," Rajeshwari Sundaram, one of the authors of the study explained.

Their findings are published online in the journal Human Reproduction.

How Obesity Affects Fertility In Men And Women

In women, obesity is known to mess up levels of natural hormones, prompting insulin resistance, which causes anovulation, a condition where the body is unable to produce quality eggs as it normally should.

Just like in natural pregnancy, obese women are also prone to suffer from a miscarriage even through in vitro fertilization.

Obese men, on the other hand, have notable decrease in testosterone levels. Worse, incidence of erectile dysfunction is also more prevalent among obese men than in men of average weight, according to a study.

Obesity: A Silent Epidemic

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than one-third or 36.5 percent of American adults today have obesity.

A broad health topic to begin with, experts believe obesity can be a byproduct of various behavioral and genetic factors. Unhealthy dietary patterns, lack of physical activity, long-term use of certain prescription drugs are some of the behavioral causes linked to obesity.

Mounting studies have also identified obesity as a major risk factor in many serious and life-threatening illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and various types of cancers.