BMI for surrogacy: Why is it important?

BMI or body mass is a universal tool used to measure overweight and obesity. It defines the relationship between body weight and height. BMI is calculates by dividing weight (kg) with height (meters square). In this context, is it important BMI for surrogacy? Let's find out.

Surrogacy has recently become a very popular option for parents who are unable to get pregnant. Surrogacy involves an external carrier of the couple’s baby. There are two types of surrogates; traditional and gestational surrogates. Traditional surrogate mothers are artificially inseminated with the intended father’s sperm. While the gestational surrogate mothers carry the embryo that is created externally in labs from the egg and sperm of intended parents.

Surrogates need to have a criteria of health to fulfill before they can safely become a surrogate. They may have to pass a number of health and psychological screenings, have certain age limits, need to have a past with no difficult delivered or pregnancies, and a BMI of 19-33.

Why is BMI important for surrogacy?

BMI is generally a good indicator of health and helps doctors decide whether the woman is healthy enough to surrogate. Surrogacy is a complex and delicate issue, therefore all sorts of precautions are taken in order to make it work. Let's see why bmi matters for surrogacy.

If BMI is too high

Most of the doctors consider a BMI around 35 and above a “too high” for a surrogate. Keep in mind that body fat is necessary for the whole pregnancy progress, however too much or too low can be harmful.

If the BMI is too high;

The woman is more likely to get to get gestational diabetes if her BMI is high. Usually the risk of diabetes during pregnancy is a common issue many women face, however, a woman with a high BMI is three times more likely to get diabetes.

Woman with a high BMI will take two times longer to get pregnant. Obesity and overweight have an impact on a woman’s fertility.

Overweight women have tougher times during labor. The larger the baby is, the higher the chances of a C-section.

Higher chances of Preeclampsia. It is a blood pressure related disease that is usually caused by poor nutrition or high body fat. The symptoms of the disease usually start showing during the 20 th week. The disease not only effects the mother’s organs like kidneys and liver, it also effects the blood flow through the placenta to the unborn baby. This is an example of the importance of BMI for surrogacy.

If BMI is too low

An underweight woman or low BMI makes it three times longer for the woman to get pregnant. Underweight impacts a woman’s fertility. Low BMI also disturbs the menstrual cycle of many woman.

Premature birth of the baby or the chances of the baby being underweight are more likely.

The health of the immune system can be at risk with low weight and low BMI.

Low weight or BMI indicate that your body is either not getting enough nutrients, or is unable to absorb them properly. This can have adverse effect on you and the baby both.

Tips for maintaining a normal BMI

While underweight or overweight can effect your fertility, it is not something that cannot be solved. Often some women are naturally thin or underweight, and their fertility might not be as effected.

Exercising at least 30 minutes a day is advised. The exercise can be done in a continuous manner or with intervals. Exercise not only helps you lose extra body fat, but it also helps you release stress and improve your overall mental health. Increasing your physical activity will become favorable changes to your overall health and not only for pregnancy purposes. It will also make labor easier for you.

Exercise alone cannot bring all the changes, surrogates also need to maintain a healthy diet. A balanced, healthy diet consists of balanced amount of nutrition, and does not include any processed or frozen food. Alcohol, cigarettes or any types of toxic drugs should be avoided at all costs. Your diet should be filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy products and whole grains. This will ensure that your pregnancy goes smooth throughout and the baby will also be of good health.

While normal BMI is important for to-be mother or surrogates, it is equally as important for other people. However, BMI is not the only tool for measuring health and checking whether you can become pregnant or not. This is a widely used indicator of health but should not be completely dependent upon. As you see, the importance of BMI for surrogacy is huge. See through other useful indicators of health.