Women with obesity who lost weight prior to in vitro fertilization ( IVF ) had increased pregnancy rates, especially unassisted conceptions, a systematic review and meta-analysis has found.

The studies reviewed were small and heterogeneous, making it difficult to determine which weight loss interventions had the most efficacy, according to the authors. Still, they concluded that weight loss in this cohort might “negate the need for treatment, and does not seem to increase the risk for pregnancy loss , although evidence on the effect on live births was unclear.”

The results were published online August 12 in the Annals of Internal Medicine .

Obesity is associated with ovulatory dysfunction, reduced ovarian responsiveness to agents that induce ovulation, altered oocyte and end

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