"The answer is yes. Being over or underweight can cause many gynaecological problems and may also up your risk of cancer," informs Dr. Anita Soni, Gynaecologist and Obstetrician, L. H. Hiranandani Hospital.

Marriage and pregnancy are the stops in a woman's life associated with weight gain. Sometimes, post-marriage and post-pregnancy road is charted with extreme weight gain and loss. We look into some common gynaec issues that are directly related to your weight gain or loss.

Menstrual Irregularity

Your monthly cycle will get disrupted if you happen to gain or lose excess weight or if it keeps yo-yoing between the two extremes.

Click here to know the relation between body weight and Menses.

Why?

"Gaining weight or for that matter losing weight rapidly can affect the production of hormones, especially oestrogen, adversely, which in turn affects your cycle," explains Dr. Soni.

In other words, if you are extremely underweight or anorexic it can lead to either scanty or no flow at all.

On the other hand, if you put on too much weight it can affect your ovaries and prolong or delay your cycle.

A constant change in your monthly cycle can further lead to complications such as:

• Restricted physical activity
• Anaemia
• Infertility

Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD)

Menstrual irregularity can also be due to PCOD, wherein cysts are formed on your ovaries thus obstructing your menstrual flow. PCOD can also lead to complications during childbirth including difficulty in conceiving.

So what is the relation between PCOD and weight?

"An overweight woman is more prone to PCOD because excess weight causes hormonal imbalance in your body," explains Dr. Soni.