Research

Hormonal

A structured, multi-modal weight loss program combining dietary advice, exercise, and behavioral support significantly improves ovulation and spontaneous pregnancy rates in anovulatory obese women compared to no intervention.

For obese women struggling with infertility, a structured 6-month program focusing on gradual weight loss through diet, exercise, and behavioral support can restore ovulation and enable spontaneous pregnancy. This approach is cost-effective and avoids the risks of multiple pregnancies associated with fertility drugs. It is recommended as a first-line step before pursuing invasive medical treatments like IVF.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Weight loss results in significant improvement in pregnancy and ovulation rates in anovulatory obese women... Women in the study group lost an average of 6.3 kg, with 12 of the 13 subjects resuming ovulation and 11 becoming pregnant, five of these spontaneously.
Anne M. Clark et al. · Human Reproduction · 1995

Why this rating

The study is a prospective trial with a historical control (drop-out group) but is not a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and has a small sample size (n=13 completers).

Source

Weight loss results in significant improvement in pregnancy and ovulation rates in anovulatory obese women

Anne M. Clark et al. · Human Reproduction · 1995

DOI 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a135772

cohort · n=18Cited 648×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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