Ready for pregnancy and told to loose weight: Exploring the intersect between weight and infertility stigma

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Nagpal, Taniya

• SSHRC IDG awarded 2023:Both infertility and higher weight carry stigma. Infertility stigma is defined as the misconception that conceiving is a natural human expectation and the inability to do so is therefore some kind of personal failure. Weight stigma includes negative misconceptions associated with body weight, including blaming individuals as though their weight is a result of personal failure. The common thread between the two stigmas is this idea of personal failure. Experiencing stigma is a detriment to wellness and can lead to maladaptive behaviours. In this case, being told to lose weight to improve fertility may result in turning to rapid weight loss methods that could be unsafe (e.g., extreme calorie restriction). The experiences and behavioural responses of individuals carrying this silent weight of double stigma, weight and infertility, have not been explored and this research study aims to fill this critical gap. We will interview individuals residing in Canada who identify as having a higher weight and infertility to learn about potential intersecting stigmatizing experiences and the impact this has on behavioural and emotional responses.

• Date created

  2023-01-17

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Insight Development Grant
  • IDG
  • SSHRC
  • Infertility
  • Weight
  • Stigma
  • Pregnancy
  • Preconception
  • North America
  • Central Canada
  • Western Canada

• Type of Item

  Research Material

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-qwek-vf11

• License

  ©️Nagpal, Taninya. All rights reserved other than by permission. This document embargoed to those without UAlberta CCID until 2028.