Obesity in women: Health risks and consequences

Table of content

Android vs gynoid obesity
- Android obesity
- Gynoid obesity
Symptoms of obesity in females
What causes obesity in females?
What are women’s obesity consequences?
What is the best way for women to lose weight?

Android vs gynoid obesity

Below we compare between Android and Gynoid obesity according to regions and resulting body shape:

Android obesity

Android obesity is characterized by the accumulation of fat cells on the abdominal region which results in an apple-like body shape.

Gynoid obesity

Gynoid obesity is characterized by the accumulation of fat cells on the lower part of the body like thighs and hips which result in a pear-like body shape.

Symptoms of obesity in females

The most indicative of obesity is the body shape, which is the clearest sign, as it appears in the form of an increase in the size of the abdomen, pelvis, buttocks, and thighs, in addition to an increase in fat deposits in the upper part of the body with a noticeable increase in the circumference of the middle of the upper arm.

Obesity in women sometimes appears with other symptoms that generally result from being overweight, including:

Sleep disorders.
Back and joint pain.
Heat intolerance and excessive sweating.
Difficulty in breathing.
Fungal infection between the folds of the skin.

What causes obesity in females?

Obesity in women has many factors that are taken into consideration in addition to the causes of obesity in general. In women, the matter is attributed more to hormonal factors, pregnancy, lack of metabolic activity, and physical effort in comparison with men.

What are women’s obesity consequences?

Obesity causes many diseases that put women at greater risk of developing incurable or permanent health problems. Obesity increases the risk of:

Breathing difficulties: Overweight women may suffer from sleep apnea, as it may result from increased fat in the neck that narrows the airway, causing temporary episodic breathing stops during sleep.
Cancer: Obese women have a higher risk of breast, uterine, ovarian, and gastrointestinal cancers.
Diabetes: Obesity in women doubles the risk of developing diabetes, as it causes peripheral insulin resistance.
Heart disease: the higher the weight of a woman, the greater the risk of heart disease, which is the number one cause for the death of women in the United States.
High arterial tension: Obesity increases the risk of developing arterial tension above what it is for healthy weight women. High blood pressure here can damage the arteries, causing severe complications.
Hypercholesterolemia: Obesity increases bad cholesterol levels and reduces good cholesterol in the blood, which raises the risk of fatty deposits in the arterial walls and causes atherosclerosis in obese women.
Pregnancy disorders: If a woman is overweight, it may be difficult for her to get pregnant.
Stroke: Obesity increases a woman's risk of stroke.

Can obesity cause infertility in females?

The risk of sub fecundity and infertility, conception rates, miscarriage rates, and pregnancy complications are increased in overweight women.

Women obesity and pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most common causes of weight gain in women, as a pregnant woman must gain a large amount of weight throughout her pregnancy, which is necessary for the continuation of pregnancy and the body's ability to secure sufficient food and energy for the mother and her fetus alike. It is usually difficult for women to lose weight after giving birth and it takes a long time to return to a normal weight. Consecutive pregnancies without time intervals cause pregnancy-induced obesity and women gain abnormally weight even after they give birth.

Obesity and the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PCOS

Obesity may play a pathogenetic role in the development of the syndrome in susceptible individuals. Approximately 50% of PCOS women are overweight or obese.