# Clinic recommendations for 41 yrs and overweight?



## ithaca (Apr 4, 2011)

Hello all 
I needed your advice. I am looking at having IVF privately as I’m too old (41) and overweight! I live in Cornwall and work in Plymouth. I recently went to Treliske Hospital for an initial consultation after a couple of appointments I then had a nurse tell me that babies born to fat women were ill, often suffer disabilities and that I should join a Zumba group! – “Weight loss is all in the mind” don’t you know! Following that she then told me that they wouldn’t take my case any further until I lost weight but I could come in for weigh ins. I appreciate that weight loss will help me conceive but it takes time which is running out of course I know I’m overweight and I am dieting and have lost weigh but it takes time. My questions are as follows.

1. I would like to find a clinic that is more understanding. Do you know of any that you have used/would recommend?
2. I was thinking of getting treatment in the South West (but that’s not set in stone) and I was looking at the following clinics and wondered what people’s experiences have been?
The Winterbourne Hospital, Dorchester, Dorset
Bath Fertility Centre, Bath
Peninsular Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Exeter
South West Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Plymouth
3. Also does anyone have any consultant recommendations?

Thank you for your time and any advice you may be able to give me.


----------



## MeowToTheMoon (Jun 5, 2011)

I don't know where people get off saying 'it's all in the mind'!!  (I bet she was a naturally thin person… )

I am 41 and overweight as well.  I am in London though, so probably not much help to you.
I am at the Lister and although it has been made clear that I have much better odds if I lose a lot of weight, I haven't been stopped.
I have found them fantastic up to this point - even yesterday when I had a meltdown in front of reception!! (I blame the Clomid!!  )

Good luck and I'm sure there will be others along who have closer recommendations for you.
Good luck on your journey.


----------



## susie52 (Jun 21, 2007)

can i join your club? 
im now 45 and overweight .. been on the ivf road 7 years .. and to be honest ive put weight on following the treatments -steriods etc and then ofcourse when its unsuccessful and your self-worth takes a nose dive ..that doesnt help! its all very easy saying loose weight and you will be pregnant - surely having a baby is the greatest motivation .. but seemingly for me it isnt and i just cant loose the weight - Ive had treatments abroad and face/face ive said to them `is my weight an issue` .. to which they all say `noooo!! you have a very young uterus bla bla bla `.. then when the treatment is a BFN - the comment is always `ah well you should loose weight` 
I know loosing weight will help with the hormones etc if you find a clinic that will treat you let me know. 
susiecy


----------



## ithaca (Apr 4, 2011)

Thank you for your information. Its good to know that i'm not the only one. my worry is that i wont loose the weight in time and i feel like i'm up against the clock. I was hoping that i would have had a reply saying that there was an amazing consultant at "blah blah blah", that worked wonders and wasn't so negative and dismissive. I live in hope. x


----------



## fiorella69 (Mar 23, 2011)

I am doing IVF at the Lister and was told that I needed to get my BMI down from 30. I was told by Dr Tolba that the issue wasn't with conception but more to do with pregnancy and birth. And having scared myself witless watching Britain's Biggest Babies recently I can see what he means!! I'd love to know whether the nurse who told you babies born to bigger women are more likely to be disabled has based that on medical fact or whether she was just making it up.  Were I to be eligible for free IVF on the NHS I know from my research I'd be turned down on the basis of my weight. 

I don't know about the clinics in the SW. I would have a look at their success rates in your age group. Look at both their website claims and that on the HFEA website, have a look at the clinic pages on FF too and then maybe go and see a couple before you make up your mind.

Best of luck, and remember you're not alone. There are plenty of women over 40 TTC.


----------



## sandy39 (Jan 6, 2010)

Hi,
I was 39 and had to get my bmi to 29 ( i lost 3.5 stone) to get the ivf but i defo put a lot of weight on first cycle which failed. I then started my 2nd and last free ivf - by then i was 40 and defo over the bmi of 29 but luckily they never weighed me!! This cycle I became pregnant with twins so put even more weight on - they say all the risks of gestational diabetes/ pre eclampsia etc - i never got any of those and yet there were loads of women in that were a lot smaller than me that got all the above symtoms. Im not saying being bigger is good but i had no different pregnancy than anyone else and even after an emerg c/section i was up that night the same as any other lady. I think its better if you can loose weight but its not the end of the world if you get pregnant and you are a larger lady. Sorry if this is rambling but it makes me so mad that weight is seen as the be all. How many large ladies get pregnant - loads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so best of luck. p.s I was at the Winterbourne/Poundbury under Mr Dooley and he was fantastic, they all were xxxx


----------



## sandy39 (Jan 6, 2010)

p.s - I have 2 healthy 8 month old boys with no handicaps or issues in fact Harry crawled for the first time yest and Thomas isnt far behind so it isn't all doom and gloom. xx
Sandy39


----------



## Mish3434 (Dec 14, 2004)

I think the whole BMI thing with IVF is because you have a slightly better chance of it working if your BMI is below 30.  Obviously there are lots and lots of larger ladies that conceive naturally, but I think if you have further fertility problems lowering your BMI can sometimes help.

I don't for a minute think weight problems are all in the mind either    I also don't for a second believe children born to overweight mothers are more likely to be disabled    I do sometimes wonder what people base their opinions on!!! 

Anyway I wish you all lots and lots of luck and babydust on your journeys              

Shelley x


----------



## jei70 (Oct 7, 2011)

This is an old thread, but here's some info from Guys hosp in London.

They recommend a maximum BMI of 30 - and that's usually the highest weight range that NHS will fund.

However, they will still offer treatment to women with the BMI of up to 35, self-funded.

Of course, NHS stop funding at the age of 40 (or earlier), so it's a bit of a moot point.


----------



## Sweetnats (Jun 8, 2011)

Hi ladies

Hope you don't mind me jumping in. Just want to tell u my experience. At 39 after being on the nhs waiting time for a while I had my first funded cycle I had to lose 2 stone fir this which was very hard. I did get a bfp and was more excited that I could eat normally! However this was short lived as it was a chemical pregnancy. Basically the dr said I had unexplained infertility. I was too fat and too old. I had 7 eggs, 3 fertilised. I had 1 frostie which resulted in a bfn. 
We had some time out and the weight crept on. At 41 we decided to try again. I started to diet but only got 1 stone off so bmi still about 33. I looked around clinic feedback forums to see about clinics for us lovely curvy ladies. One came back with glowing reports. However it was in Norway. I emailed the clinic. And a doctor emailed me straight back saying my weight wasn't an issue. When we went for our consultation they didn't even weigh me. He done a scan and found I had pcos. The nhs had missed this. 
He said that it is better to be a bit slimmer but wasn't a factor. 
Just had my tx there. They are fantastic. !! 
I got 28 eggs, 24 fertilised. 2 hopefully snuggled in. And 12 frosties. 
They were all 8 cell grade a. 
I would have probably waited another year trying to shift that weight and am so pleased we chose our clinic. Even if this doesn't work. It was such a positive experience that it will still be worth it

Natalie x


----------



## Sencybil1 (Sep 4, 2006)

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, if you hear a rumble its my blood boiling!!!!      

How dare that nurse speak to you like that!

Right, my views now.  Having a higher BMI doesn't necessarily reduce your chances of successful tx.  Conditions such as PCOS impact fertility and can cause people to be heavier - its the condition that's the problem, the weight is a by product and this skews the statistics.  Also, any criteria that excludes people from free tx is great for the NHS because it reduces their costs - so no wonder they jump at the chance to apply it.

Basically you know if you feel healthy.  Bodies are programmed to reproduce in times of plenty, when food is available.  Embarking on a serious diet just before tx sends all the wrong messages, and can stress you physically and mentally.  I think its all about the individual.  If you feel happy in your own skin, that's more important than a few pounds.

Also in pregnancy, the bigger you are to start with, the less weight you tend to put on, so yes its physically easier if you're lighter, but lots of thin people put on loads of weight, and you probably won't.

When we (finally) got some proper diagnostics from the NHS and realised IVF was our only option, I was told I'd have to loose 4 stone.  I realised that just wasn't going to happen within my age window limit, and luckily we could afford to go private.  We went to the ARGC in London, and weight was not an issue.  We were lucky there first time.  To the nhs I was practically hopeless case being fat and old, and lo I'm pregnant with one tx!  Since then I put on more weight and we've been back for tx and again weight was never discussed.  Altough the subsequent txs failed, I got a minimum of 15 eggs each time, and I think it was really just a combination of age reducing our chances and really poor sperm - nothing to do with weight whatsoever.  I've also never had any problems with anaesthetics either, and like previous poster was on my feet 12 hours after my cesarean and had no complications.

I know the ARGC probably isn't a great option for someone from the SW, but I really hope you find someone who'll treat you with the dignity everyone deserves.

Sencybil xxx


----------



## parva stella (Mar 26, 2011)

Dogus in Cyprus dont insist you lose weight but it does in theory improve your chances...good luck and babydust to everyone.


----------



## jules40:)x (Jun 15, 2011)

Just a quickie from me, I can second what Nat said re Norway, they are lovely and don't judge you.  I am currently undergoing treatment at Wessex in Southampton which has an upper BMI of 35 if that's good for you? 

J x


----------

