Gaining weight during IVF treatment is a common side effect that many women experience.
So, is the IVF to blame?
If not, what other factors could be causing it?
And why don't all gain weight?
Now before I go diving into answer those questions let's get something clear from the start.
Pregnancy clearly causes weight gain.
So it's important not to confuse IVF treatment up to the embryo implantation stage as being
the culprit for weight gain after it.
What I am talking about today is the IVF process itself and how much, if any, can be linked
to weight gain.
Now it is true that weight gain during IVF is a real thing.
Some women will put on weight due to fluid retention during the superovulation phase
of the IVF cycle.
So in this case, it is the high estrogen levels that are causing the fluid retention.
But the feelings of bloating are only temporary.
While it may be uncomfortable, retaining extra fluid isn't so much an issue compared to gaining
extra body fat.
And once the superovulation stops, the hormones get excreted into the urine and the bloating
subsides.
This means that most women will quickly lose the fluid they accumulated and will go back
to their normal body weight.
The other type of weight gain that some women do experience is what I call "true weight
gain" and this from putting down more body fat.
So are the IVF drugs to blame here?
The answer is a bit murky because it isn't quite clear how these hormones could cause
the weight gain.
Looking a bit deeper into the science finds at least one study looking at weight changes
over the IVF cycle.
For women in the study, their weight at the beginning and end of each IVF cycle was the
same.
It was only during the stimulation phase that you see a temporary increase in weight.
But the key to looking at this type of research is that this was the average result.
Every woman is different so it is possible that some women did gain weight, but this
was balanced by women that perhaps had a small amount of weight loss.
Now if you are that woman that gained weight, then your weight gain is real!
But can the IVF be blamed for it?
Maybe, maybe not, but what can change is how much is eaten, or even more likely, how active
a woman is.
It seems many women do take it easier on themselves during embryo transfer and are less active
because of concerns of exercise affecting a successful implantation.
Less activity can easily lead to weight gain.
So, drastically reducing exercise can definitely lead to weight gain over an IVF cycle, but
this has little to do with the IVF drugs!
So what about eating changes over IVF?
IVF can be stressful, and this is combined with mood swings that come from it.
Some people are natural overeaters when stressed.
Other people actually eat less when stressed.
So here's what I think is happening.
Weight gain is likely if you are a person who is a stressful eater.
So again, weight gain during IVF can be a very individual thing even though the science
says "on average" women don't gain weight.
Not everyone is average and some people do gain weight!
So in a nutshell, not every woman experiences weight gain with IVF.
Weight gain when it happens is more a result of changes in physical activity habits and
an eating response from stress and mood changes.
So that's why it's important to understand that every person's response can be different.
So what to do if you've experienced weight gain from your
IVF treatment?
First of all, this isn't the time to embark on an intensive weight loss diet just to drop
a few kilograms!
Your health and nutritional needs mean you want to be eating well during this time.
Fad and crash diets could even jeopardise your chance of becoming pregnant.
And as I outlined earlier, it could just be that you've consciously become less active
so that is something that is easier to fix.
If stress is causing you to overeat, then it is a great time to control this with things
other than food.
You might like to try drawing, knitting or maybe counseling when you are stressed.
Or if you are like me , I often find that there is nothing better than a good cry.
On top of this, make healthy food choices your top priority rather than restricting
foods.
So that means plenty of fruits and veggies.
But what I like to suggest with many of my clients
Is to have some fruits in particular that feel like a treat food. So for example I had a client just last week
who was saying that her favourite fruit is raspberries. But she often doesn't buy them because she finds them too expensive
Well this is going to be nourishing and it's going to feel like a treat. So it's a win win!
Right, so the good news from all this is that if hormone treatments are a cause of weight gain for
you, especially if it is fluid, you can expect to lose that weight once the treatments stop.
OK, so let's summarised what we've discussed today.
Gaining weight during IVF is common, but not
every woman experiences this. Bloating does explain some of this weight
gain, but fortunately, this settles with time. Changes in activity levels are the likely
reason that some women gain weight. But probable the most common reason is that stress and mood changes can be a trigger for
over-eating during IVF treatment. When it comes to food, it is much better to
focus on eating healthier, rather than eating less to deal with any weight gain.
Now, I have a question for you.
What do you think is the key cause of your IVF weight gain?
Let me know in the comments below.
And, if you have any questions, I am here to help
So feel free to ask below.
And, to make all this easier for you, I'd love you to download my free meal plan.
Just go to www.melaniemcgrice.com/fertility.
I look forward to catching up with you next week on Nourish!