Obesity likely to lead to infertility, warns expert

Obesity can cause various complications including infertility, according to Consultant Surgical Gastroenterologist Dr. Prasad Krishnan. 

The specialist, who is on a visit to Bahrain, said infertility is among the many complications that could arise from obesity. 

He said he had seen many cases where an obese person lose weight and become fertile. “Certain hormonal levels are much higher in obese patients. There are cases where patients have got obesity related infertility and after the treatment and surgery they lose weight and become fertile.” 

In a round-table discussion session with media representatives on Aster Medical Centre premises in Gudaibiya yesterday, Dr. Krishnan said: “There are a lot of complications arising from obesity. It can lead to diabetes, there is a 20 per cent chance  the patient can get diabetes, hypertension is another problem, they can get cardiac issues, joint pain is another problem, and menstrual irregularities can also arise.” 

The doctor will be offering consultations at Aster Medical Centre, a one-credit Continuing Medical Education (CME) class and a public symposium during his three-day visit in the Kingdom. 

Dr. Krishnan’s experience focuses on the treatment of obesity through Laparoscopic and Robotic Bariatric Surgery, which now plays a key role in the treatment of obesity. Dr. Krishnan’s expertise also includes treatment of cancers and tumours of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Elaborating on the benefits of Robotic Bariatric Surgery, he remarked, “It is precise. It has lower complications rate and lesser operation fatigue; these are major advantages.” 

“If the body mass index is more than 25, it is considered as overweight, 30 to 35 is grade 1 obesity and more than 40 is grade 2 obesity. Surgery is not for all obese patients, if the body mass index is more than 35 and the patient suffers from complications, it is an indication for surgery,” he said while expounding on obesity and the need for surgery.