Unplanned pregancy rate higher in obese

 Posted by Deborah Condon - www.irishhealth.com
The rate of unplanned pregnancies is four times higher among single obese women than women of a normal weight, while obese men are far more likely to develop sexually transmitted infections (STIs) than normal weight men, a new study has found.
Obesity is emerging as one of the fastest growing pandemics in modern times, but its effects on sexual health are unclear. This is the first major study to investigate the impact of being overweight or obese on sexual activity and sexual health outcomes such as sexual satisfaction, unintended pregnancy and STIs.
French researchers carried out a survey of the sexual behaviours among 12,364 men and women aged between 18 and 69. Of the participants, 3,651 women and 2,725 men were normal weight, i.e. they had a body mass index (BMI) of between 18.5 and 25, 1,010 women and 1,488 men were overweight (BMI between 25 and 30) and 411 women and 350 men were obese (BMI over 30).
The study found that among obese women, the rate of unplanned pregnancies was four times higher than among normal weight women, despite them being less likely to have been sexually active in the past year.
In fact, obese women were 30% less likely to have had a sexual partner in the last 12 months. However they were also less likely to seek contraceptive advice or to use oral contraceptives.
Obese men meanwhile were 70% less likely to have had more than one sexual partner in the last 12 months and were two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced erectile dysfunction. Those under 30 were also far more likely to have had an STI than normal weight men.
The study also noted that obese women were five times as likely to have met their partner on the internet, were more likely to have an obese partner and were less likely to view sex as important for personal life balance.
The researchers believe that social pressure, low self-esteem and concerns about body image may help explain the findings. They added that the public health impact of the results is important.
"The scale of the problem and the magnitude of the effects (particularly the four-fold increase in risk of unintended pregnancy among obese women) warrants focused attention. In terms of targeting advice and care, a considerable proportion of the population is obese, is easily identified and as such, is at an increased risk in terms of poorer sexual health status," said the team from the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Medicale in Paris.
Details of these findings are published in the British Medical Journal. In an accompanying editorial, Dr Sandy Goldbeck-Wood, a specialist in psychosexual medicine, pointed to evidence showing that doctors find it difficult to discuss sex and weight issues with patients.
She believes that clinicians must be prepared to address these difficult subjects, which have such important effects on health and quality of life.
"We need to understand more about how obese people feel about their sex lives, and what drives the observed behaviours and attitudes. In public health terms, the study lends a new slant to a familiar message - that obesity can harm not only health and longevity, but your sex life. And culturally, it reminds us as clinicians and researchers to look at the subjects we find difficult," she added.