BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a calculation based on a person's height and weight that indicates how much body fat they have. An increase in body fat can not only effect a woman's overall health but also cause more difficulty for doctors who perform IVF retrievals as well as cause difficulty with ultrasound visibility when performing embryo transfers to the mother or gestational carrier.

Most fertility clinics require a BMI of at least 18 and no higher than 30. They can even suggest an IVF or egg donor patient with a very low BMI work on gaining some weight for better egg quality and for a healthier pregnancy.

Here are the ranges of normal to high BMI:

Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
Overweight = 25-29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

If you are considering surrogacy or IVF consider getting to a healthy weight so your journey is a healthy one.

To see where your BMI stands visit: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bminojs.htm

For more information on BMI from surrogacy expert Sharon LaMothe visit: http://infertilityanswers.typepad.com/surrogacy_101/2008/07/how-high-is-you.html

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