Evaluating the association of female obesity with the risk of live birth following IVF: Implications for clinical practice

Abstract

Obesity is a well-established risk factor for infertility. Consequentially, women living with obesity may require fertility treatment to support them to conceive. Due to evidence suggesting obesity is also linked with poorer outcomes following in vitro fertilisation (IVF), local commissioning guidelines on assisted conception recommend a BMI of <30kg/m² before IVF can commence. However, it is currently unclear if these guidelines are evidence based. This commentary aims to critically appraise a recent systematic review by Sermondade et al, 2019 and expand upon the implications of the findings for clinical practice