Article by: Dr Zoe Arugay
Photo: Jupiter Images

Poorer health is now not the only issue that obese men and women have in their minds.

Scientists said on Wednesday that obese women have four times as many unplanned pregnancies as healthy-weight women despite having less sex. Moreover, obese women are less likely to ask for a contraceptive pill and that obese men are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.

The research, led by Professor Nathalie Bajos of France's National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), is the first major study to investigate the impact of being overweight or obese on sexual activity and other factors such as sexual satisfaction, unintended pregnancy and abortion.

Bajos explains that social pressure, low self-esteem and concerns about body image may help explain these findings.

Because of social pressure, obese women are more likely to find sexual partners online. Even if they were to find these partners, obese women are less likely to engage in sexual intercourse. Yet they were also less likely to view sex as important in their lives, Bajos said.

They also do not feel comfortable seeing a gynecologist for contraception issues. 

Furthermore, gynecologists and general practitioners are less likely to prescribe contraception to obese women because they believe these women are less likely to have a sexual life in the first place.

On the other hand, obese men were more likely to experience erectile dysfunction than normal weight men. They were also more likely to have had a sexually transmitted disease despite fewer partners.

Now how did that happen?

This just goes to show the importance of not making the assumption that just because someone is obese does not make them as sexually active as the rest of the population. They need to be counseled appropriately like the others.

The report is published in the June 16 online edition of the BMJ.