Can Being Overweight or Underweight Affect Ovulation?

Being overweight or underweight can affect ovulation. Body fat plays a direct role in producing and storing oestrogen, one of the main hormones that controls the menstrual cycle. When body fat is too high or too low, this hormonal balance shifts, and ovulation, the monthly release of an egg from the ovary, can become irregular or stop altogether. Extremes in body size, both thinness and obesity, are recognised risk factors for ovulatory infertility in women. Roughly a quarter of Indian women of reproductive age are now overweight or obese, while underweight remains common too, making this a two-sided concern.