BMI Calculator

What Is BMI?: BMI is the common acronym given to Body Mass Index, a number calculated from your weight and height that roughly correlates to the percentage of your total weight that comes from fat, as opposed to muscle, bone or organ. The higher a person's BMI, the higher the percentage of fat in their body. If your BMI is under 18.5, you might be underweight. Between 18.5 and 24.9, you are in the normal BMI range for your height. A BMI over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is considered obese. 

Calculate Your BMI & See How It May Affect Your Fertility

How Does BMI Affect Fertility?: At Shady Grove Fertility, patients must have a BMI of less than 40 before initiating an IVF cycle and a BMI less than 44 before initiating IUI cycles. These parameters are important because there are numerous potential complications for overweight women trying to get pregnant including:

• Lower response to medication used to regulate or initiate ovulation.
• Greater need for carefully titrated dosing of medication, especially in patients with polycystic ovaries (PCO).
• Greater frequency of over-response and the risk of over-stimulation and / or multiple pregnancies in response to medications used to induce ovulation. And if a multiple pregnancy is conceived, there are greater obstetrical complications in patients with excessive BMI than in multiple pregnancies in patients with a normal BMI.
• More complicated IVF cycles (besides those complications listed above) including :
  • Fewer eggs retrieved
  • Greater technical difficulty retrieving eggs with greater risk of bleeding or injury
  • Greater difficulty with embryo transfer in visualizing the uterus and accomplishing the embryo transfer effectively
  • Lower embryo implantation rates
  • Lower IVF success rates

Your SGFC physician will discuss with you the importance of your weight as part of the overall review of your medical records and history. We will use this information and, when necessary, we will have a discussion on the serious impact of being underweight or overweight on your general health as well as your fertility care. We will encourage, or, as necessary, require a program of weight loss combining dietary modification as well as an exercise program prior to embarking on fertility therapy and conception.

For more information about weight an fertility or to schedule an appointment to see one of our physicians, please speak with one of our friendly New Patient Center Liaisons by calling 888-761-1967.