It’s rumored that Amy Winehouse is attempting to gain weight so she can conceive. In case you don’t know who this celebrity is, she is a British singer who is probably more famous for her drunken outbursts and drug habits than she is for her massive bee-hive and former hit song ironically titled “Rehab.” She is incredibly thin, and if this rumor is true, I think a few pounds would probably help quite a bit.
There is a difference between being very thin and underweight. It all has to do with your percentage of body fat. Body fat is essential for storing and releasing the hormone estrogen. That is why athletes like gymnasts who have extremely small amounts of body fat may actually experience cessation of their monthly period. As you know, no menstrual cycle means no ovulation, and no ovulation means no pregnancy.
To maintain a normal, regular menstrual cycle, your body fat needs to be somewhere between 17 and 25 percent. (It should also be noted that having too much body fat can wreak just as much havoc as having too little.) For some women, getting their body fat to a healthier percentage may mean the difference between being infertile and fertile.
To get an initial idea of whether you are in a healthy range, use a BMI calculator. BMI is based on your height and weight, so it does not calculate your body fat percentage, but it may give you a pretty good idea of what your body fat percentage is. If your BMI is really low or high, ask your doctor to check your body fat percentage. A good time to bring up your weight and body fat percentage to your doctor is when you talk to him or her about conceiving.