Overweight and Fertility Support

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yes, Dr. Google is much better. thanks!

Google it for links to actual scholary sites or trusted medical clinic sites...really? Are you that dumb?

apparently. because I still don't see how a trusted medical clinic WEBSITE is so much better than an in-person consult with a top RE...

right, so OP shouldn't even do a consult to find out what an actual live doctor recommends? that sounds really smart and "scholary"...

[Anonymous]

Not all doctors are up on the latest research -- patients have to educate themselves too!

[Anonymous]

Here's one suggestion: Dr. Widra at Shady Grove has been very good about this while treating me.

He was sensitive and encouraging at the beginning of my treatment whenever I expressed concerns about this. He later offered a quick and direct endorsement of my plan to lose weight, and he never commented on my progress after that unless I asked a question about my diet or some other related issue.

(I'm a high-BMI patient but do not have PCOS, irregular monthly cycles, or insulin resistance - so that may have affected his assessment.)

[Anonymous]

From OP here - thanks to all of you who provided some suggestions. I now have some direction. Really appreciate it!

[Anonymous]

I will add one additional point. Most clinics will not cycle a patient for IVF who is extremely obese due to risks associated with the anesthesia needed for egg retrieval. I am sure other factors weigh in as well, but that is a very real issue.

[Anonymous]

I'm overweight and sought help from Dominion Fertility, they would not allow me to do a cycle with fertility meds until my BMI was less than 35, but they helped diagnose and treat my underlying problem, PCOS so if DF said they won't treat you if your BMI is over 30 it just means they need to see some positive changes before putting you on fertility drugs.

[Anonymous]

OP, I feel for you, I had a BMI close to 40 when I went to see Dr. Gordon at DF, he did address my weight as an issue in getting pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy. Being overweight puts us at risk for blood clots and other complications while on fertility drugs then if pregnancy occurs there's an increased risk of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and premature birth. The hard thing about having infertility and the weight issue is it took me 6 months to lose 30 lbs and I kept thinking I wouldn't get my BMI down before I developed decreased ovarian reserve. It turned out that Dr. Gordon let me do a cycle when my BMI was around 35, he knew how hard I was working so he felt I was ready for the next step. I'm 37 and 6 months pregnant with a baby girl.

[Anonymous]

PP Thanks for sharing your story, what kind of things did you do to lose weight and how has your pregnancy been so far? I have lost 23 pounds but my BMI is still around 38 so I know I'm not a candidate for IVF. I'm 33 so my RE tells me I have time to get in shape for the next step, but it's so hard. My weight has been an issue since I was a kid and my DH and his family are all overweight as well. I feel like I'm fighting this alone because my DH feels like his weight is not a factor in IF so he sits next to me and eats whatever he wants. How can I convince him that we both need to make positive changes if we are going to raise healthy kids?

[Anonymous]

One other thing this is a sensitive issue for many of us so trolls please refrain from snarky comments.

[Anonymous]

I went to Dr. Sacks at Columbia Fertility. Never came up...my bmi was 33. When I asked him about it into the process (because I wondered) he looked a bit surprised and shrugged. I can't actually imagine that anywhere wouldn't TRY and help you just because it will affect THEIR rates of success. Sounds crazy to me. Good luck. Loved Sacks. Worked 1st time out for us with only 1 embryo implant, fyi. In the process of trying again (though I've also lost a lot of weight - BMIs now 27!).

[Anonymous]

To the 19:27 poster - can I ask how old you are? I have consulted with Sacks and he never commented about my weight (BMI is right around 30).

[Anonymous]

19:27 here - I was 33. He never asked or commented though either - just making sure you read my comments right.

[Anonymous]

Hi - I had a BMI of 45 and worked with Dr. Widra at SG. He was wonderful and I have healthy B/G twins now. My weight was never once mentioned. I do have PCOS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:19:27 here - I was 33. He never asked or commented though either - just making sure you read my comments right.

I did read the comments right, but wanted to add my experience.

[Anonymous]

PP 20:02 Are you serious, I started off at SG and they told me I had to have a BMI close to 30 to do IVF? It would be great if they changed their policy, my BMI is around 40.