# Obese and ivf clinics



## ace789 (Aug 1, 2011)

Just wondered if there are any clinics that offer IVF to obese women, my partner and I have had all the tests for IVF but my bmi is 36 and I need to get it down to 35 before treatment can start, three months later I'm no lighter and being 41 age isn't on my side, so looking at alternative clinics, any information gratefully received


----------



## staceysm (Nov 18, 2010)

Hi Ace,

I am just under 40 yrs old, but thought I would reply anyway.  I think you may find it hard to find a clinic, due to the health complications on an obese woman having any type of medical procedure.

My clinic would only treat up to a BMI of 35 even though we were paying privately.  My BMI was about 35.8, but when they tried to scan me they could only get to one ovary due to me being over weight.  So they refused me treatment until my BMI was 32.

I know you won't want to hear it, but I would really try and get your weight down a bit.  Can't you join a slimming group?  My aunt lost 5 stone in 8 months at Slimming world.  There is a weight loss thread on here, so you can get support from others.

By being slimmer you will respond better to the drugs and your chances of getting a positive pregnancy result will increase to.

I truly know how hard it is, but when you are paying out thousands of pounds, you really want to give it your best chance possible.

Good luck on your journey

Stacey
X


----------



## Ellie.st (Mar 11, 2005)

Dear Ace

I know it's hard but I think that what Staceysm says is very sensible.  In addition, apart from giving you a better chance of success with IVF, losing some weight also gives you a better chance of having a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.  I appreciate that you feel that time is not on your side but 41 is far from being over the hill (see my profile   ).  

I had to work hard at getting weight off too before we started IVF but I managed to get down three BMI points to my target weight.  Incidentally, I found that the weight piled on during my IVF cycles and I think that this is quite common, so starting off the treatment from a lower weight helps in that regard too.

Good luck     

Ellie


----------



## MandyPandy (May 10, 2010)

acezero121 said:


> Just wondered if there are any clinics that offer IVF to obese women, my partner and I have had all the tests for IVF but my bmi is 36 and I need to get it down to 35 before treatment can start, three months later I'm no lighter and being 41 age isn't on my side, so looking at alternative clinics, any information gratefully received


 I really do feel for you. Due to treatment and the emotional eating attached to it, I put a lot of weight on to get to a BMI of 35. We then went to a clinic that treated me regardless and paid £12,500 for the privilege. When the cycle failed, at the follow up, the first thing the consultant said was that I should lose weight. I was absolutely furious and couldn't understand why on earth they would treat me and THEN say I needed to lose weight - why not tell me BEFORE I'd forked out £12.5k. Call me cynical but I think that any clinic that does that has extreme ulterior motives.

I then worked very hard to lose the weight for my following treatment and got my BMI down to 26. It took me 5 months to do it but it was worth it as it was the first one ever to work. I don't think it was a coincidence. I also felt happy and positive because I knew I'd done everything possible to make it work, so it wasn't just about the weight loss itself, it was about how it made me feel.

I know it's hard and I really didn't want to hear that losing weight was the best thing I could do as I knew what hard work it was but ultimately, it was well worth the effort. Granted I'm 37 but my AMH is extremely low and I'm facing POF (giving my ovaries the age of someone nearly 10 years older than me), so I thought I could ill afford to lose the time - but the other magic thing I found was that losing the weight vastly improved my egg quality and number of eggs retrieved (my first cycle brought me only 3 mature eggs compared with my last cycle in which I had 9).

I really would strongly recommend taking 5-6 months to just get your weight down. I would recommend it to anyone as I know the difference it makes. IMO, it's better to take the 6 months now to do it and give your tx every chance of success, than in 12 months - 2 years time have several treatments under your belt (never mind the financial/emotional cost that goes with that) and realise that you still face the issue of needing to lose weight.  If I could go back in time, it would have been the first thing I did, but I was hoping I could get away with not having to do it. 

I went on the Cambridge Diet. I found it relatively easy to stick to as the weight came off quickly and meant I was constantly motivated. They also have a forum to talk to others on the diet so it helps to keep you on track (if you wanted to go down that road). I have put 5kg back on due to the way my positive cycle ended and a subsequent cycle I did, but I am now working very hard once again to get that back down ready for my next tx in just over a month's time.


----------



## Ellie blue (Oct 25, 2011)

Hi Ace,

I'm afraid I agree with the others, when I first when to the clinic I was 42 years old and had a BMI of 44!  They told me to lose weight or it wouldn't work!! So I then spent one and a half years going to a personal trainer, working out twice a week and sticking to a GI diet (I have PCOS).  It was long and hard but I got my BMI down to 33 and two treatments later I got a bfp!  I am now 45 years old and 20 weeks pregnant!  

Dreams are hard to achieve but once I realised it was exercise and diet OR Treatment, well there was no turning back.  

Good luck and please remember that 41 is young!


----------



## binky47 (Jul 13, 2012)

Hello ladies!

May I join?  Your posts give me hope!  I have no idea what my BMI is as I am too scared to get on the scales (and too depressed about the infertility).  We have been TTC naturally for about 2 years (well only 1 year as far as DH is concerned) and are about to have our long awaited first appointment at Kingston ACU - no idea what to expect really except to eventually have our situation confirmed (low sperm morphology of DH) although just recently my cycle has started being strange.  Anyway, realistically I know that we will need ISCI and that we are far too old to get it on the NHS.  Our GP who we had to see to get the referal (having just recently moved into the area) almost scoffed at us for asking for the referral, and more or less asked us what on earth we would want to have one for (?!?) (ie how dare we be thinking of having kids at our age - the nerve of us!) Also, and this may sound naive, I only recently found out that all this BMI business is going to be a problem.  I am planning to start a diet (honest!) but we go on holiday at the end of the week so it will have to wait until we get back (unless we want a miserable holiday).  I've been reading a lot about chinese medicine and DH is having acupuncture and chinese herbs in the hope that that will help with the sperm morphology issue.  I am planning to cut out sugar, wheat, dairy and alcohol (well we're already very low alcohol and caffeine and no-smokers) but if what I have read is correct, cutting these things from my diet will help overall health issues as well as give us a better start in getting pregnant. It will be hard, I know, but I have to give it a try and I think, bless him, DH is still over-optimistic about our chances of conceiving naturally.  Very worried with my 42nd birthday coming up that we haven't got a chance, really, but I still strongly feel that I don't want to adopt so it has to be worth doing this and seeing what happens.

Thank you so much for publishing your success stories, in terms of losing weight and of getting pregnant! It really is inspiring and great to have some hope that it can happen!

Binks


----------



## Ellie blue (Oct 25, 2011)

Hi Binky,

I also gave up dairy and it really helped me lose the weight, as it mean that I had to think about everything I was eating.  I soon found it easier not to have any cake, biscuits or chocolate, rather than trying to buy dairy free versions.  

Your plans sound great but you haven't mentioned exercise?? This is the only real way to lose weight, as you have to eat! Try to find a class that you could enjoy, Pilate's etc; as I do know that getting a personal trainer is not for everyone and costs a lot!

While trying to conceive naturally may not be possible, you could still have a very strong chance with IVF or ICSI. We were told that we only had a 6.3% chance of success and it worked for us!! 

Good luck


----------



## MandyPandy (May 10, 2010)

Actually, exercise is only about 20 - 30% of weight loss. The rest of it is what you put in your mouth. As diet makes up 70 - 80% of weight loss, I'm afraid there's no easy way around it, you _have_ to cut your calorie intake. Exercise will speed up the rate at which you burn calories and will help tone your body but the hard work really is in the diet.


----------



## Mish3434 (Dec 14, 2004)

Sorry to butt in 

Exercise and diet are equally important tbh. If you cut your calories too much your body can put itself into starvation mode, which would mean your body holds on to most of what you consume, having a negative effect on weight loss. You should always aim to let exercise take care of 250Kcal of your diet intake so if you were planning to cut your diet by 500kcal you would only eat 250kcal less and let the exercise burn the other 250Kcal instead, if that makes sense to you. Stay away from "low fat" processed food, processed food in general, sweeteners are a no no, eat regular meals so you don't start getting hungry (this is when you overeat) keep a diary of what you are eating and drinking and when you spot a trend of when you start to comfort eat, choose this time to do some moderate exercise instead.

On the exercise front I recommend resistance work alongside your CV workout, at the end of the day, muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does  also your body appears slimmer with more muscle tone 

Shelley x


----------



## MandyPandy (May 10, 2010)

Thanks Shelley.   I'm not sure if you're responding to my comment but if so, I think you might have misunderstood me slightly.

Of course exercise is important, I'm not saying it isn't.   I was responding to the previous comment which said that exercise is the only real way to lose weight.  That is incorrect.

It is quite a common guide that 70% of weight loss is down to diet (making diet extremely important in weight loss) and 30% is down to exercise (a quick google will show this), so my point is that you shouldn't rely on one or the other for your full weight loss goals, both should be incorporated together, i.e., don't expect one or the other to achieve all your weight loss.  

Brilliant idea on the diary.  I keep one too.  When I wake up in the morning I write down what I am going to eat for the day and what the calories are (1200 - 1500).  I then tick the things off that I eat when I eat them.  If I eat anything extra I also write it down together with the calories.

If anyone is looking for help on the psychological side of weight loss and really useful tips and aids for staying on the 'straight and narrow', I can highly recommend The Beck Diet for Life (which I moved to from the Cambridge Diet as a long term aid).  It's the best thing I've ever bought and a lot of the habits become rapidly ingrained, making dieting a hell of a lot easier in the long run.


----------



## Mish3434 (Dec 14, 2004)

Hi Mandypandy, It was in response to both of you, you are right you can't rely on one or the other you really need both to make the weight loss attainable and sustainable. Personally I wouldn't deny myself anything food wise as I've always found that if I do this I then crave the missing food and given half the chance I would then overeat it, if i got chance  I'm a strong believer in "everything in moderation"  but for me this also includes exercise in the bargain. 

Shelley xx


----------



## susie52 (Jun 21, 2007)

ooh dear, ive had the same experience  as Mandypandy ... did treatments all BFN and the only thing anyone can say is "loose weight" - wow that really put all the blame in my camp  


soooo - i went to the gym yesterday and booked a personal trainer and she will work me out a diet / nutrition - we went through what i eat - strangely i dont eat enough (!) yet im a baby elephant - i went on the  evil machine that measures all the % in the body .. and it came out i have the body of a 61yr old (she can have it back right away!!) - i also worked out my BMI online today and I'm embaressed to say its 45.46 - so how the hell can a women with a 61 year old body ever hope to get preggers ? dohh no brainer really - as you can imagine i didnt sleep well last night and ive basically 'lost' 20yrs of my life - real age 46 - health age 61


regime starts tomorrow and i hope to loose 10kg or more in the next 3 months 
ive looked on the FF forum and i cant see a section on weightloss - can anyone point me in the right direction. 
i really need to dedicate 3 months (12weeks) to get some weight off and then try again for a baby .. time is really ticking by and i will so kick myself as the biggest regret that i couldnt have kids cause i was 'too fat' 
what a disgrace


----------



## MandyPandy (May 10, 2010)

Susie!  I'm so proud of you!!!  Well done for facing your demons head on!  It can only get better from here.  

I have a personal trainer too and I absolutely LOVE it.  It's one hour 3 times a week where I get to just let loose.  We do a lot of boxing which I have found is GREAT for frustration/anger/anxiety from tx and I have also found that by building my physical strength, it has helped enormously with my mental/emotional strength.  The stronger you are, the more confident you feel, the more confident you feel the better able you are to deal with what life throws at you which, let's face it, for us is quite a lot!

Don't be disappointed in yourself, for one reason or another you put on weight. Make peace with that and let it go.    Make sure you analyse why that happened so you can address/spot the symptoms if it starts to happen again.  In my opinion, weight gain and loss is all about what's going on psychologically so you really need to address that.  My main issue was emotional eating but now that I've dealt with it and found other ways to cope, the weight is staying off.  As I say, the Beck Diet for Life book was fundamental in helping me achieve that that.


----------



## MandyPandy (May 10, 2010)

Mish3434 said:


> Hi Mandypandy, It was in response to both of you, you are right you can't rely on one or the other you really need both to make the weight loss attainable and sustainable. Personally I wouldn't deny myself anything food wise as I've always found that if I do this I then crave the missing food and given half the chance I would then overeat it, if i got chance  I'm a strong believer in "everything in moderation"  but for me this also includes exercise in the bargain.
> 
> Shelley xx


I think you're right on that front - alas for me it's not so simple as I have high ATA's, so I have now cut out all gluten, dairy, eggs and sugar.  ...still, the health benefits I am feeling from it far outweighs the desire to eat it. I've also found that since cutting it all out, I no longer crave any of the foods that have these things in them.

..and in terms of exercise, I wouldn't give it up for the world. I love it! My problem is trying to slow down when tx comes along.


----------



## Mish3434 (Dec 14, 2004)

Susie, Well done you on facing it and doing something about it   

To get access to the weight loss area of FF, go to your Profile Summary and look down the left hand side under Modify profile and click on Group Membership, you request access there. Any problems give me a shout 

Mandy, I only slowed down at EC but that was because we had a car accident a few days before  Diet never is simple is it, I've changed a few things in my diet I got a shock when I did my nutritional course all the things I thought that were good turned out not to be  

xx


----------



## susie52 (Jun 21, 2007)

thankyou Misha3434 - ive done as you said .. had my first training session today and i survived ! - onwards and upwards aiming at an october visit - trainer reckons i should loose 2kg by next week - bring it on ))


----------



## binky47 (Jul 13, 2012)

Hey Susicy

Feeling your pain!  I am hitting the diet this week (well low fat healthy eating this week whilst I get all the details nailed before I start properly).  Planning to do Slimming World with some modifications so that I can avoid wheat, sugar and dairy. Any tips on recipes etc. do let me know.  I am back into exercise classes this evening after a nice couple of weeks in Germany.  Can't afford the personal training at the moment.

We are going for more blood and sperm tests this week, and have to book my HSG.  However, I am about to return to full time work, and I am doing a masters at the same time, so I figure I have enough on my plate at the moment without worrying about fertility treatment (which I fear may cause me to lose my sanity and possibly my job!) so I am concentrating on the dietary adjustments and exercise for the next few months and TTC naturally.  Time is ticking but at the same time, if I can get my BMI down to something sensible by Christmas, say, then we can review the situation and see if we feel ready then, and the extra few months it took to get into shape will have been worth it... I hope....

Good luck with your personal training!

Binks


----------

