Moms come in all shapes and sizes. No matter the body type or weight, women's bodies are amazing vessels for bringing babies into the world. For some, though, it isn't so easy.

Fertility — and infertility — is different for every person, and weight isn't necessarily a factor. However, there are some common maladies that come with extra weight that can affect your ability to conceive, and they could hurt a woman's chances of getting pregnant and delivering a healthy baby. We want to pass on the facts so that everyone is healthy and happy.

Many plus-size women can conceive easily, while others struggle. And while there are women of all shapes and sizes who need some extra help from a fertility specialist, there may be some clues about the body that can help in solving the issue and bringing a baby into the world.

It's important to understand what could be happening with your body, because it could help you and your doctor work in getting pregnant. It's all about the health of the baby and the health of the mom — no matter the size, shape or weight, the end result is what is important.

Here are 15 things to know about plus-size women trying to conceive.

15 Estrogen Issue

For most women having trouble conceiving — no matter where they fall on the body mass index — the biggest issue involves hormones.

The perfect balance can be hard to reach, and the reason behind it can vary. For plus-size women, one of the most common reasons for a hormonal imbalance is an excess of estrogen. Estrogen can be produced by fat cells, so curvy girls can sometimes find themselves with more than average. That can basically make your body act as if you are on birth control.

You may not ovulate or your ovulation cycle could be inadequate. And if there are no eggs released, then there can't be a baby.

Doctors can easily test estrogen levels, and sometimes supplements can help balance your hormones so don't lose hope.

14 Polycystic Ovaries

Another common fertility issue for plus-size women is Polycystic ovary syndrome. It's an endocrine issue that can actually make it harder to lose weight.

It causes enlarged ovaries, which are filled with many little cysts filled with fluid that surround and block your eggs. The syndrome also deals with a hormonal imbalance, this time related to androgen, which is a male hormone, so some of the more common issues include things such as acne issues and thicker, darker hair on your arms and even on your face.

For many women with PCOS, periods are infrequent or they can be longer than usual, which can make tracking your cycle difficult.

PCOS is also tied to other diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, so it is important beyond your fertility to know whether you have the disorder. It can be diagnosed via an ultrasound, so talk to your doctor if you suspect that you could have PCOS, so you can get the right treatment.

13 Ovulation Tracking

For some plus-size women, hormonal imbalances can cause problems with their menstrual/ovulation cycle. Some women don't have periods at all, and some are infrequent. For others, it's a matter of having regular periods but the cycle doesn't match the average woman.

Luteal phase defect, is a condition where the time between when you ovulate and when your period starts isn't what it is for other women, which typically have about 12-16 days during that phase in their cycles. You could have a shorter window for baby-making, and that could be why you aren't getting pregnant.

The first step for many women is to carefully track their cycle, including keeping track of the average length of their period and the phases in between. Checking the basal body temperature every day might help in figuring out when ovulation occurs and could provide the key in figuring out the perfect time to make a baby.

12 Body Fat Distribution

Infertility is more common in women with a BMI above 38, which is considered morbidly obese. But it's just as common in women who are very lean. Extremes on either side of the spectrum are the biggest worry, but it isn't the only one when it comes to trying to conceive a baby.

According to some studies, it's not so much about the weight but about how it is distributed on the body. Women with a higher waist to hip ratio have more trouble conceiving than women with waists that are smaller than their hips.

In other words, a woman with a pear body shape could have no problem getting pregnant while a woman with a body shaped like an apple could have a harder time. The apple body shape is more common in women with PCOS, by the way, so it might be a reason to ask your doctor.

11 Miscarriage

Many of the fertility-related conditions that are related to obesity not only make it hard to get pregnant, but at times they can also make it difficult to remain pregnant long enough to deliver a healthy baby.

Women with luteal phase defect can have their egg fertilize but the shortened end of the cycle can mean there isn't enough time for the egg to attach to the uterine wall before menstruation. Even worse, due to the hormonal imbalance, women with PCOS have a greater risk of miscarriage.

There is little that can be done to save these pregnancies, but if doctors can successfully treat the conditions and get the hormones in balance, then you could later have a healthy pregnancy. There could be a lot of heartache on the journey to welcoming a baby into the world, but we hope that in the end you will be blessed with a rainbow baby.

10 Complications

For plus-size women, the road to pregnancy isn't always smooth, and sometimes neither is the pregnancy itself.

Women who have a higher BMI are more likely to have gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia, although both conditions can happen to any woman regardless of size. Both conditions require special monitoring, although gestational diabetes often can be controlled through diet and medication. High blood pressure can also require a lot of monitoring, and pre-eclampsia can be very dangerous for the mother and the baby and can lead to a very precarious health situation for both.

Doctors aren't sure why, but plus-size mothers are also at higher risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect. There are varying degrees of severities of neural tube defects, but unfortunately some are fatal. Your doctor will be sure to test for any abnormalities during various stages of the pregnancy and will recommend treatments to give you and your baby the best chance possible.

9 Another Tragic Turn

Because of the complications that can happen for women who are plus-sized, many times their pregnancies are high-risk. That can mean some pretty big problems can happen, including the worst of all — stillbirth.

Yes, plus-size moms are at a higher risk of stillbirth. It isn't because of the weight but because they are at higher risk of those conditions that can often end unhappily. Gestational diabetes includes a risk of stillbirth, and so does neural tube defects.

It doesn't mean that outcome will happen to you; it just means that you will need to be cautious and that your doctor will want to keep an extra eye on you and your baby throughout your pregnancy.

The risk of stillbirth increases after 39 weeks gestation, so your doctor may recommend an induction if you haven't given birth at that point. It's all to try to get the best outcome possible and save both you and your baby.

8 Fertility Drugs

After couples have tried for a couple of years to get pregnant unsuccessfully, one of the first treatments considered often involves fertility medications that could help in the release of eggs.

For plus-size women, it's possible you could need a higher dose than other women, although doctors are still researching what the best course of action is. For medications that are taken via injections, you may have to consider a longer needle, based on the doctor's recommendations.

The doctor could also recommend a different part of the body from the norm, maybe one that doesn't carry as much weight before you get to the muscle, which is the desired location for the injection. That can mean injecting into the arm or stomach instead of the buttocks.

Your doctor can advise you on the best course of action. There is usually a way they can make it work.

7 IVF Success

For women who need extra help to have a baby, we have some not-so-good news. In vitro fertilization, which gives hopes to lots of women who struggle to get pregnant, is less successful for plus-size women.

According to at least one major study, IVF didn't work for more overweight women than women whose weight is lower. Whereas it worked for 24 percent of the women studied who were in the healthy weight range, it only worked for 15 percent of the women in the overweight range.

IVF obviously doesn't work all the time for anyone, regardless of body size. It's a medical procedure that gives you a chance — and as you can see, it still works for a lot of people.

The good news is that the more research that goes on, the better and more successful the procedure becomes.

6 Male Perspective

Weight isn't just a factor in fertility for women; it can also be a factor in whether a man can become a father. Studies show that a man with a high BMI can have lower sperm quality, and hormonal issues can cause problems in sexual satisfaction and desire.

Whenever you talk to your doctor about fertility, your partner should also be a part of the discussion and a part of the testing. There could be treatments that could take your partner's issues into account as well and lead to the best plan for finding success. You both will become parents, so you both are instrumental in figuring out the fertility part and in getting pregnant.

And by the way, just like women, men who are underweight can also have issues with fertility. So don't assume that it is you and your weight that is the issue. Check every angle for the most success.

5 Health Check

If you are trying to conceive, you should talk to your doctor whether you are having trouble or not. A check on your health before you are pregnant isn't a bad idea because it can do a lot to figure out if there are any health issues up front that you can get on top of.

Eventually, you will be tested for gestational diabetes during your pregnancy, but if you actually have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes before hand, that could hamper your baby's nutrition during the first trimester and that could lead to birth defects. If you have undiagnosed high blood pressure, the same could be true, or you could end up with a blood clot or other issue that can endanger your life and the life of your baby.

Neither of those conditions could stop you from having a healthy pregnancy, but it would be best if you were getting the proper treatments to ensure that both you and baby are healthy.

4 Should I Diet?

It's always important to do all that you can to be healthy, so paying attention to diet and exercise is a good idea. And it could very well help you get pregnant.

According to studies, many women find improvements in their menstrual/ovulation cycle if they lose 20 pounds. It may not be the magic answer if there are other conditions affecting your fertility, but it could help your hormones to get in a better balance, and it could help your cycle to even out.

Women who are trying to get pregnant — no matter their size — should concentrate on eating a healthy diet, and they should go ahead and start taking prenatal vitamins. Nutrition is very important in trying to avoid issues like neural tube defects, and in many cases the vitamins that are a part of a mother's diet very early in pregnancy — sometimes before she even realizes she is pregnant — are the most important. So every woman who is trying to conceive should make sure that your diet includes the proper nutrition.

3 A Warning

While you may want to lose a little bit of weight before you have a baby, you should be very careful of how you do it. Diet drugs can be very effective, but if you become pregnant while you are on them, that could spell disaster.

The impact of diet drugs on a fetus hasn't been fully tested, but because they can keep your nutrients from fully making it through your system, they can deprive a baby of the nutrition he or she needs at the stage that she needs it most.

Some doctors say you should be off of diet drugs for at least three months before you get pregnant, but if conceive quicker than planned, you need to quit taking the pills immediately and work hard to maintain a healthy diet and take prenatal vitamins.

2 Don't Crash

While it is a good idea to try to lose a little weight before you get pregnant, it is not a good idea to crash diet, pills or not.

If you are starving yourself, then your body gets depleted of nutrients that it needs. Then, when you get pregnant, there won't be the necessary nutrients in your body to start off your baby's development properly. And even if you are taking prenatal vitamins it may not be enough to give both you and the baby all of the important elements that it needs to grow.

Since neural tube defects happen very early in the pregnancy — within a few weeks of conception — that is the time when your baby needs the nutrients the most, and if you crash diet, your body won't have time to catch up before that critical stage.

We also caution you against crash dieting because it rarely works in the long term. Neither does extreme exercise. You need to eat healthy for a full nine months and counting when you are pregnant, so if you diet, you should make sure to start a healthy lifestyle that you can maintain for the long haul.

1 Weight Gain During Pregnancy

No matter how hard the journey is to try to conceive, plus-size women get pregnant every day, and for many their size will never be an issue.

When you are pregnant, your body isn't just your own, so no matter your size you need to think about your health. Every pregnant woman should take prenatal vitamins, eat nutritious food as recommended and get some exercise, which can help to aid in a smooth delivery.

Whereas the average recommendation on gaining weight during pregnancy is about 25 to 35 pounds, if you are plus-size your doctor may recommend a smaller amount, maybe 10 to 15 pounds. A doctor never recommends losing weight while you are pregnant — although that sometimes happens in the first trimester due to morning sickness — because it could mean that your baby is not getting the proper nutrition that she needs for her growth and development.

If you have gestational diabetes, which we mentioned is more common for plus-size women, your doctor will talk to you more about your diet as well.

Enjoy this magical time in your life, and be sure to do all that you can to bring your beautiful baby into the world as healthy as possible. Good luck on your journey.

Sources: Pregnancy.org, BabyCenter.com, FertilityPlus.com, FitPregnancy.com, Conceive Easy.com, TheHealthSite.com, MayoClinic.org, WebMD.com