# weight and IVF



## SuzanneA (Jan 21, 2007)

Hi
I seem to be getting alot of conflicting advice from places regarding BMI and IVF.  I've read that they can refuse to embark on IVF if your BMI is over 30 and yet my GP was rather vague when I mentioned this and stated he didn't think it made a difference. Has anyone had a similar experience? Can anyone shed any light?

Suzanne


----------



## Betty M (Dec 6, 2005)

Like many things this one depends on the circumstances. I have never heard of a private clinic refusing to treat someone with a BMI over 30. I have heard of PCTs who make BMIs under a certain range a requirement before they will give you an NHS go. The theory is that high BMI means that chances of success of IVF are greatly reduced, that in some cases a very high BMI might be a cause of not conceiving in the first place and that if the IVF is successful then chances of serious problems arising in pregnancy like diabetes and high blood pressure are much higher. Here is a link to a recent BBC news item on the issue http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5296200.stm. I have not done any primary research on it myself and it was not a criteria my PCT used.

Good luck
Bettyx

/links


----------



## ☼♥ Minxy ♥☼ © (Jan 13, 2005)

Hi Suzanne

As Betty has already mentioned, some PCTs do have a BMI limit as part of their criteria if having nhs treatment...you would need to check directly with yours if you're having nhs funded treatment.

You can search for your local PCT on this website...

http://www.nhs.uk/England/AuthoritiesTrusts/Pct/Default.aspx

If you're having private treatment then you're probably best speaking with your consultant who will be able to advise you. As far as I'm aware most prefer a BMI of 30 or under but as I say, speak with your consultant.

Good luck  
Natasha

/links


----------



## niki_s_uk (Dec 20, 2005)

Hiya Suzanne

I've been a victim of weight and refusal of IVF on the NHS.

We have been TTC #1 for 4+ years with one natural mmc Nov 04 @ 10+wks - we have been patients of the fertility clinic for approx 3 years and all that time the carrot of IUI or IVF was dangled and when it came to the crunch, when nothing else had worked they took the carrot away due to my weight.

Their criteria is a BMI of under 30 - mine is 36

So we decided due to my age it's best to not hang around and go private and find a clinic who would treat us.

This was relatively easy although one - Newcastle Centre For Life said they would treat me if my BMI was under 30 !!! Errr Hellooooo!!! If it was I would be getting it free!

I have just started down regulation today with suprefact injections and as a matter of fact my consultant at the private clinic showed me a study on our first appointment that he had done whilst working for and NHS clinic in Middlesbrough.

The study showed in no uncertain terms that ladies with a high BMI have a higher chance of conceiving with IVF - in fact the higher the better - BMI over 40 was best with 44% chance if I remember rightly.

We were given a 30-40% chance of succeeding.

I meant to ask for a copy today when I went for my drugs but I forgot but I will get one next time I go hopefully.

What makes me really angry is that if I was a smoker, alcoholic or drug addict the money is there to help - without question ... infertility is no fault of our own but yet they won't help people suffering from it!

Anyway hope that helps.

Love
Nic
xxxxxx


----------



## Flopsy (Sep 18, 2003)

Hi Suzanne,

When NICE did guidelines for IVF they included a recomendation that BMI should be below 30 and above 19. However, not all PCT's have adopted the guidelines and some use their own criteria.

One private IVF clinic we were seen at would not treat women with a BMI of over 30 and the other private clinic we were seen at had no weight restrictions.

There is conflicting evidence over IVF success and weight. There is more research on miscarriage and weight.

Hope this helps.

Kindest regards,


----------



## ~**Mrs G**~ (Oct 15, 2006)

Hi Suzanne

My BMI was 40 and was told to lose 2st in weight b4 we could start our IVF cycle. That was in June last year, I've found it really hard to lose the weight and only lost 10lb in 6 months.  They wanted me to have a BMI of 32, I thought I would never get started on my journey. So I rang them up in December and explained and they said I could go ahead with it as long as I understood that they could b complications about my body not responding to the drugs and OHSS. I thought that it was worth ago and now I'm starting my cycle in Feb. Still trying to lose weight tho.

Love Jo xxx


----------



## caza (Jul 21, 2004)

my bmi was 32 i had to get it under 30 before i could have TX on nhs it was only about 8lb but i never loose weight and i had 8 weeks to lose it in as some funding had been put forward and i was on the top of the list i just did it with some help from slim fast and a treadmill . my clinic would not treat me if it was over good luck with TX love caza

_post edited by admin  _


----------



## flowerpot (Jan 20, 2005)

Hi Suzanne

On the NHS, I was told I had to have my weight within a certain bracket for my height, they had a minimum and maximum weight that you had to fall between.  Thats why I started dieting.

On the private which is the route we are taking now (only because we don't want to wait for the NHS another 2 years) we have been told there is no policy on weight for treatment.  However, this is with CARE.  On contacting another private centre (MFS) they do have a rule of a BMI of 30 or below, but if you are under 35 BMI they will try and help you to get this down.

I guess it depends on where you are having treatment and its best to contact the place directly and ask them.   I must admit I was very relieved when CARE told me there was no policy, as our appointment is approaching with them fast!!

Good luck xxx


----------



## Katy H (Aug 22, 2006)

Suzanne, 

I've posted on this before as it's something that affected me last year when going for my first (and only) NHS cycle.  

The general trend seems to be that NHS clinics can be quite strict over weight/BMI.  I think it's fair to say that pregnancy is riskier if you are overweight, aside from the arguments of whether IVF is more likely to be successful.  In my opinion the bottom line is that because NHS-funded treatment is effectively rationed, there needs to be a criteria on which to make decisions over who to treat.  Weight - and age - are probably the most straight-forward ways for them to decide.  I'm not saying I agree with this but until there is proper funding of infertility treatment on the NHS it's always going to be a fact of life.

Private clinics face a different set of criteria.  You have to remember that they are essentially businesses that need to make a profit.  They are less likely to turn patients away because of their weight, because they need to have plenty of "customers".  Set against this though, they will need to maintain some degree of selection in who they treat because the clinics' overall success rate will influence the number of people who choose one particular clinic over another.  

For my NHS treatment last year I was told to lose a stone (which would have brought my BMI down from 34 to about 31).  In fact I lost two stone before starting ... and then made it a total of 3 stone before my 2nd (private) cycle.  How did I do it?  A mixture of Weightwatchers, drinking less wine, and doing more exercise.  I used a personal trainer for a while which was really good in terms of motivation and helping me to believe I could achieve my goals.  

While I'm desperately hoping that the 3rd cycle I'm about to start will be successful, I don't regret for a minute the fact that it was IVF that forced me to lose weight.  I would probably never have done it otherwise, and it will benefit my health in the long-term regardless of what happens over the next few weeks.  I am much happier in myself being slimmer and fitter; I enjoy exercise, and even enjoy shopping for clothes now that I'm a size 12/14, rather than my previous 18/20.


----------



## SuzanneA (Jan 21, 2007)

Thanks so much for responding everyone.  I lost 2 stone last year but am still around BMI 35 and it seems a bit gutting that even with a big weight loss, they may still refuse us on the NHS.  We're seeing a consultant for the first time in Feb as we've been told that we are likely to need IVF (DH sperm problems) and I just wanted to be armed to tackle this problem head on when it rears its ugly head.

If there are any universal policies out there that people have found on the web regarding this, I'd be grateful for the pointers.

thanks

Suzanne


----------



## Dif (May 22, 2006)

Hi Girls,

My clinic (not PCT) set criteria for NHS IVF (Hammersmith). I had BMI 31 and was told had to get it down to 28. Was gutted but determined to do it as was told would give us best possible chance for conception. My GP was excellent and gave me Reductil which is a drug used in conjuction with healthy diet to help weight loss. It was absolutely fantastic. I lost 2.5 stone in 7 months which doesn't seem like a lot but with PCOS and diabetes I have never ,anaged to lose any weight before.

Anyway after a very long winded and roller coaster cycle we got a BFP on our first go   . Of course I can't say that it was the lowered BMI that did it but I'm really glad I made the effort. Ask your GP's about the drug. I cannot recommend it enough. After years of struggling I still had to put in the effort but at least it gave me the results I needed.

Good luck to you all.

Much love,

Di x


----------



## bali (Nov 22, 2006)

Hi SuzanneA,

Your story is so similiar to ours, we are still waiting for our GP to sign off our referral to the PCT, as my BMI was 34.8 last November.  Even though it is now 30, our GP will still not budge and send it off even though it is clear that i'm loosing the weight.  However i'm finding it difficult now as the weight loss has slowed down but we are nearly there 

Hope you are able start soon, keep us posted love bali x


----------



## caspa28 (Feb 9, 2011)

This thread is really insperational..... Ive only just been refered  to the FC and I know I have to lose 2ST9LB to get my BMI nder 30...Im SOO glad im not alone...


----------



## caspa28 (Feb 9, 2011)

Hi Mandy 
were is it you can cheak what diffrent PCT's ask for I cant find anything... Im most prob be useing Newham even tho my closest is Greenwich.
Thank you x


----------



## caspa28 (Feb 9, 2011)

Ahh I near enuff qulifiy then just given up the bad habbit and just need to get my BMI down.... Thank you for that Mandy xx


----------

