Ms. P.T.N.Q. (40 years old, Binh Phuoc) shared in her joy when seeing her first son sleeping: "If I had lost weight sooner, my husband and I might have been parents a long time ago". This is a surprise sweet fruit for the couple after a successful weight loss journey, helping them conceive naturally after many years of hard work.
Ms. Q. and her husband got married in 2012 and in the first 4 years, she became naturally pregnant twice but both failed. Doctors could not determine the cause, only recording that both husband and wife were overweight. The loss causes them to suffer from stress, lack of sleep, and dietary disorders. Their weight kept increasing, while their physiological needs gradually decreased.
Ms. Q. felt guilty for not being able to have children, even thinking about divorce so that her husband could get married to another woman to have children to follow. However, Mr. P. was determined not to leave his wife. In 2024, the couple decided to go for a reproductive health check-up. The doctor determined that the reason for the difficulty in having children was due to being overweight, as Ms. Q. weighed 82kg and Mr. P. 95kg, both with a BMI of over 30, facing the risk of infertility.
Doctor Lam Van Hoang - Head of the Department of Endocrinology - Diabetes at Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City - said that being overweight is one of the main causes of infertility in both men and women. Excess fat affects the production of gonadotropin (GnRH) hormone, which impairs reproductive function. Excess fat also causes inflammation, increased insulin resistance, menstrual disorders and impaired egg quality in women.
For men, obesity reduces testosterone levels, affecting sperm production and sexual desire. The doctor advised Ms. Q. and her husband to reduce BMI to below 25 kg/m2, the normal BMI level before starting infertility treatment.
With the goal of helping Ms. Q. and her husband lose 19kg and 25kg respectively, Dr. Hoang has planned treatment for 6 months. The couple was given weight loss medicine and increased mobility with simple exercises such as walking, yoga and jogging. At the same time, the diet is adjusted to increase lean protein and green vegetables, reduce fat, ensure lower energy consumption than energy consumption.
After 6 months of perseverance, Ms. Q. lost 19kg and Mr. P. lost 25kg. After that, Ms. Q. suddenly became pregnant naturally without IVF intervention. Tests showed that the fetus was healthy and in early March, the baby boy was born safely, weighing 3.1kg.
"My wife and I have fulfilled our dream of becoming parents more easily than we expected," Mr. P. happily said.
