Obesity cuts fertility rate
2004-07-05 09:27
Sydney - Australia's staggeringly high obesity rate could slash fertility rates by half within a decade, specialists warned on Monday.
Obesity researcher Robert David said an increasing number of women were suffering from the pre-diabetic condition of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), which affects many overweight women.
"We're seeing more and more young women who don't get their period and who find it very difficult to lose weight," David said.
"I believe that within 10 years, if obesity continues to rise at the present rate, half of all Australian women could be temporarily or permanently infertile."
Australia's fertility rate has been steadily falling over the past 40 years with women now having an average 1.7 babies while 28% of the female population will not have any children.
Fertility specialist David Knight said women suffering from PCOS had irregular menstrual cycles and often did not ovulate.
"Ten years ago I rarely saw PCOS but now I deal with it much more often," he said.
David said studies in 1998 found that one woman in 20 suffered PCOS.
"However, the skyrocketing rate of obesity and diabetes in the community since then strongly suggests that infertility has increased at least at the same rate," he said.
The Institute of Health and Welfare recently estimated that almost nine million of Australia's population of 20 million are overweight, with 3.3 million obese.
It found the proportion of obese Australians had increased almost 80% in the past 13 years while at least 17% of women are estimated to be obese, and a further 25% are considered merely overweight.
Knight said weight gain affects fertility by leading to changes in the way the body deals with sugar, which increases the output of insulin.
This in turn causes other hormones to become imbalanced, which can impact on the ability of the ovaries to function properly.
The specialists encouraged overweight women to shed some kilograms.
"Even losing 5kg can make a difference," David said.
- AFP