# Rising obesity in Indian women signals pre-pregnancy health push 2026-08-12T18:15:24+00:00 | Health & Science | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Nearly one in three Indian women (30.7%) aged 15-49 is now overweight or obese, up from one in four (24%) five years ago, according to the National Family Health Survey-6 data for 2023-24. Among men in the same age group, the proportion rose from 22.9% to 27.3%. The trend has prompted doctors to push for pre-conception care, arguing that checking health before pregnancy can improve outcomes for the mother and child. At SDM College of Ayurveda in Udupi, a structured pre-conception programme based on the ancient garbhadana samskara concept has been counselling couples from across south India. The approach includes dietary advice, lifestyle changes, and traditional therapies tailored around factors like fertility timing and reproductive tract health. Doctors stress that such interventions must remain individualised and clinically supervised. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Tags: Ayurveda, Karnataka, NFHS-6, obesity, pre-conception care, women’s health Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/rising-obesity-in-indian-women-signals-pre-pregnancy-health-push/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/rising-obesity-in-indian-women-signals-pre-pregnancy-health-push/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.