How do ultra-skinny celebrities have babies?
Asked by anonymous on Oct 21, 2008
in Eating Disorders
If women who are underweight become infertile and lose their periods, why are very slim celebs with Body Mass Indexes of 16, 17 and 18 able to still have children?
Answer
If a woman menstruates at all, even irregularly, she can become pregnant; however, normally, a woman must have at least 22% body fat to trigger ovulation. Ultra-skinny celebs usually lay off the exercise and gain some weight in order to get pregnant. They stimulate ovulation through the use of fertility drugs and injectable gonadotropins, which can result in multiple births as it did for Julia Roberts. Some of the skinny celebs, like Courtney Cox and Nicole Kidman, try for years before becoming pregnant, while others, like Kelly Ripa, were heavier during the childbearing years.
