The effects of increased body mass index on preconception health: A scoping literature review

Introduction: The growing proportion of overweight and obese people worldwide is of great concern as it affects the overall health of people and consequently also their reproductive health. The aim of this literature review is to examine how increased body mass index affects fertility and preconception health in men and women.Methods: A scoping literature review was conducted in February 2021 using PubMed and Medline databases, as well as the Google Scholar search engine. Inclusion criteria consisted of scientific literature, regardless of methodology, and articles published in Slovene and English.Results: The literature search yielded 9 reviews and 5 original quantitative studies published in English in the last 15 years. The results suggest that there is compelling evidence that obese individuals are at increased risk of various health problems in the pre-conception period that may affect their fertility and ability to conceive.Discussion and conclusion: The rising prevalence of high body mass index is changing the reproductive health of men and women. Growing obesity rates, particularly in the Western world, call for greater awareness of this metabolic syndrome and its impact on female and male reproduction. Health professionals working with couples in the pre-conception period should have sufficient knowledge to address the impact of high body mass index on reproductive health and promote a healthy lifestyle.
Uvod: Naraščajoča stopnja prekomerne telesne mase in debelosti po vsem svetu ovira zdravje moških in žensk ter posledično vpliva na njihovo reproduktivno zdravje. Namen tega pregleda literature je raziskati, kako povečan indeks telesne mase vpliva na plodnost in zdravje moških in žensk pred spočetjem.Metode: Opravljen je bil pregled literature. Iskanje literature je potekalo februarja 2021 v podatkovnih bazah PubMed in Medline. Drugi iskalni zadetki so bili najdeni s pomočjo Google Učenjaka. Vključitveni kriteriji so zajemali znanstveno literaturo, ne glede na metodološki pristop, v slovenskem in angleškem jeziku.Rezultati: V pregled literature je bilo vključenih devet preglednih in pet izvirnih člankov kvantitativne metodologije. Ugotovitve raziskav kažejo, da imajo posamezniki s povišano telesno težo v predkoncepcijskemobdobju večje tveganje za številne zdravstvene težave, ki lahko vplivajo na njihovo plodnost in sposobnost zanositve.Diskusija in zaključek: Povišanje indeksa telesne mase vpliva na reproduktivno zdravje moških in žensk. Naraščajoča stopnja debelosti predvsem v zahodnem svetu zahteva večjo ozaveščenost o tem presnovnem sindromu in njegovem vplivu na reprodukcijo žensk in moških. Zdravstveni delavci, ki delajo s pari s prekomerno telesno maso v obdobju pred spočetjem, morajo imeti ustrezno znanje za njihovo obravnavo ter spodbujati zdrav način življenja.