Denied Clomid because PCT say I am overweight

I heard from a friend at the weekend that one of her work colleagues had been denied IVF and was turned down for adoption for the same reason. It is stuff like that which keeps me up at night.

I am 5ft 7" and weigh 17 stone - but I go to the gym 3 times a week, play netball and do Pilates once a week too. But I struggle to lose weight.

I am dreading if we have complications trying to get pregnant.

It must be so tough for you :(

You can ask to be referred out of area op but the PCT will have to approve it - which they won't if the service is available in area and you just don't meet the criteria.

Thr criteria re weight are set based on hard un emotional statistics. If you are overweight the success rate is less. Full stop im afraid and they will have a success rate beyond which they will not " waste the money".

Sorry I know that seems hard from your side of the fence.

Diet, save up, and maybe meet half way with a private service when you've lost 2st?

ZOMBIE THREAD!

One that's been resurrected twice in it's long life as well!

Sorry I haven't RTFT but just to weigh in, I have been prescribed Clomid and suffered a horrific reaction to it that saw me hospitalised ... It also didn't work for me. I conceived after I stopped taking it due to the reaction I had.

I'm not saying it to scare anyone but it's not a magical bullet without risks. I understand the pain of infertility but there are risks with any medications that must be considered. Weight is one factor that can raise risks in pregnancy and birth, you won't (usually) get any slimmer being pregnant, in fact I put on another 4 stone in mine (I also have PCOS) so 4 stone above the ideal is also 4 stone plus pregnancy weight by the time you give birth plus a predisposition to gestational diabetes due to weight and pcos...

I think some weight loss prior to pregnancy to reduce such risks is prudent and not that the consultant wants to fat shame but rather reduce known risks to your future baby

Before pregnancy I wanted just to BE pregnant but the moment you are, keeping your baby healthy is your top priority. Tbh I did feel guilty over my weight as it was a changeable factor in my control prior to conceiving. Fortunately my baby didn't suffer any long lasting complications but it was a difficult delivery in which my weight played a factor I believe

Zombie thread

heartmoonshadow... I feel your pain. Listen don't get stressed or disheartened I'm in the same boat as yourself.
Move forward and make things better for yourself as I am.
Don't look at it like a block in your dream look as it as a hurdle to jump over.
Join a slimming group slimming world is best for most people I myself have done them all but SW is so easy to do.
In 6 months you could lose a lot even 4stone if you truly work at it.
Even losing a few stone = 10% of your weight will make you more fertile. Don't give up and don't let other people make you feel rubbish. Think of it as your journey and you will get there. One step at a time make this dream happen you will get there we both will. Take the diet step and you will be where you want to be in no time I promise.
Good luck xxx

I was prescribed metformin and clomid for secondary infertility. Metformin is used for pcos diabetes and it can regulate ovulation. My specialist said that they have recently used it successfully to help recurrent miscarriage. But that is only at the trial stage

If a baby us what you really wantlose the weight. You'll easily lose four St in six months if you are well motivated. It's a fact that weight affects fertility and thus sounds like a clinical decision. Clomid is not a quick fix nor is it a right .

listen i am four stone overwieight, so i am really not judging you. i also have pcos.
i have had two children and lots of problems with pre eclampsia, including horrible overmedicalised births, long stays in hospital and general horribleness, which i am still recovering emotionally from.
i actually lost two stone before conceivign my first child but piled it back on when pregnant.
i'm still on the blood pressure tablets that i got on during my second pregnancy.
i would love to lose weight and i know it takes a lot of work and is much harder than many on this thread are suggesting.
but if you can please do.
i wouldn't want any of the experiences i went through to happen to any one else. if i had known the problems my weight would cause before my first child, i may have acted differntly
my bmi was 31 insecond pregnancy btw.

This thread is two years old?

Got confused when I saw f&Z!

I just wish you luck in your journey but as a ote of caution be aware of loosing that weight healthily and lighterlife can cause issues in itself (stopped my frieds periods totally) so make sure its something that you can live with x

I was referred for infertility and declined clomid as my bmi was 36. You have to be below 34 to get it prescribed in my area. My consultant advised me that clomid was just not effective for overweight women.

I was very disappointed but it helped me as I went away and lost weight. I now have a bmi of 29 and have started my first course of clomid.

I am still dieting and I aim to be a healthy weight. It gave me the kick up the arse I really needed.

I dnt think many of u r understanding heartmoonshadow! i don't think u realise how hearbreaking it is to have ur hopes up by being refered, having a fertility expert go through a long list of questions then b turned down because u do not fit the critera- gps should b more clued up and not refere u in the 1st place!!

this too happened to me a year ago- i was told i needed 2 lose 3 stone in 3 months- not healthy to do so and my gp was shocked they suggested that! I also have PCOS so its even harder 4 me 2 lose weight.

Its all very well being told 2 go and lose the weight but it relly isnt easy! and yes it does give u a goal but its also gonna take a long while to reach that goal.

I too would like to know if any PCT will prescribe it to overweight woman- I think a lot of peole have the percetion that fat people are fat because they sit in a chair all day and stuff their faces- not true! I don't see it as a quick fix because I can't b bothered 2 lose weight- not true at all- I am slowly losing weight but just not quick enoough- oh and i was told that by losing just a little bit of weight then my periods would return- not happened! so I think some people should back off and be a bit more understanding- I need clomid because I don't ovulate- and thats because of the condition I have, not because I am over weight- I used to be 9 stone when I first came off the pill- never have regular periods- have 2 a year- even when I was at a healthy weight so yes I do think doctors r too quick to put the blame on weight when in fact there are other problems!

Heartmoonshadow I wish u the best of luck in your journey huni, it will be a long one but we will get there eventually and it will be worth the wait when that little bundle of joy finally arrives!! xx

Wow heated discussion! Can I just say my gyne told me to loose weight before even prescibing me Clomid. After doing some reserch it does you no good being over weight. It does effect many aspect of your fertility and your health. Not only that if you did fall pregnant whilst being over wieght. It can cause complications during the pregnancy & birth. Not only that you put on whilst pregnant & it's harder to loose after child birth. Taking on board what my consultant had told me. I joined Slimming world. I have lost so much weight over a short space of time. I have done it healthily & have kept it off. Plus I feel so much better just for loosing a bit of weight! I went back to my consultant in June. Told him what I had done to help my situation. Advised him that I had lost 10% of my body weight in a month (tried going to the gym first that just didn't wok for me). He was really pleased & told me to keep loosing & prescribed me Clomid straight away. I have to agree with you over the BMI crap. I really don't feel it is realistic. I freely admit I'm over weight. But I don't eat a lot of bad things. It's the way I am. If I slimmed down to be within the BMI guide lines I would look ill. If you find it hard to loose weight I would really recommend slimming world I found it really east & was able to eat.

Dresdenfiles

Interesting what you said about clomid!

My fertility consultant said she thinks I ovulate therefore she cancelled out clomid all together!

I told her I had heard of others taking it to give their ovulation a 'kick' but she refused to hear it!

To anyone here who has been trying over 12 months to conceive, i would definately suggest asking to referred to a fertility specialist. There are other facters and tests to be considered which only a fertility specialist will send you for

Clomid is precribed to woman who ovulate on thier own to boost ovulation

Also if you are having 21 day blood tests this will assume you ovulated on day 14 which isnt always the case espcially if you have irregular periods. One an egg is released it last 12-24 hours where sperm will last up to 5 days so its all about getting the timing right

Heartmoonshadow - you mentioned about drinking diet sodas, I really recommend that you stop with that.

they are loaded with Aspartame (a chemical sweetner) which can cause your hormones to go haywire and can impact on fertility. it's also been linked to cancer - so all in all it's very grim stuff.

Fizzy drinks in general are bad news but if you have to have them - have the regular variety.

As somebody that was overweight 10 years ago I do understand how hard it is to slim down. But it can be done.

Please don't get too hung up on the supposed genetic link (I used to cling to that one too - as I had a fat mum, gran and sister!) however obesity isn't inherited.

Weight Watchers really worked for me and I made some great friends there too - good luck to you. x

By the way at 5ft 4in your upper range of healthy BMI is 10st 4 lbs,which would make you 2 St 5lbs overweight.Not so obese to warrant some of these exagerated hurtful comments IMO.

If you have PCOS,Have they tried Metformin tablets with you? With PCOS alot of women are overweight and it is difficult to shift the weight due to the condition.

IMO as the weight gain can be connected to your fertility problem,its a bit much to suggest you lose weight to get the clomid.

Bit like Diabetics that are overweight,its difficult for them to lose weight as their body is not able to cope with their sugar/carbohydrate intake anymore,they don't get "refused" treatment,or told to lose weight first.Often the treatment for PCOS will help you to lose weight.

If you dont want to be pregnant,the "Treatment" is the Pill,if you do its Clomid.

M&J - question here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/1368/546557?ts=1216129722387&msgid=11602208

Dottydot

Had a look at your pics..you look fabulous! I can't believe you were EVER very overweight!

And your 2 boys are so cute....

I'd really like to pick your brain a bit more about the whole metformin and PCOS business!

I feel some of the posts are a little unhelpful. Weight can inhibit pregnancy - either too much or too little weight. But it is a marginal factor and I do feel that it is being used to screen out the number of people eligible for expensive help.

It's the same in adoption - factors which have a marginal effect on your ability to be a good parent are being used to screen out possible adopters because there are just too few children for too many parents. So the decider becomes something that would be irrelevant for people who aren't in the queue for adoption (eg, not being married, occasionally smoking, being overweight).

For those who don't really have a problem with fertility (myself included) weight did not stop me conceiving. Simple observation tells you it's a marginal issue not a major factor. Most people who are overweight won't have a problem conceiving. But it's a way to screen the applicants and therefore it has become a major requirement in fertility treatment.

In my case, I was ovulating. If you are ovulating (which you might be with PCOS - I was), clomid won't be much help to you anyway.

I think it does sound like a more sympathetic gp would help to get to the bottom of what exactly your fertility isue is.

I should add that I completely agree with those who posted re BMI being unreliable.

There is a very clear genetic factor in weight issues but it's an unfortunate fact that those who don't know a lot about it prefer to believe that that is not the case.

My mother has suffered from a lifetime of intestinal disease and has a diet of around 1000 calories a day. She is completely consistent in this and I know she doesn't sneak any extra food because she can't. She is averagely active. She weighs 18 stone.

dottydot

I am trying to get my GP to refer me to the endo here who believes in perscribing metformin for PCOS.

Were your periods regular before you started metformin and lost the weight?

I have regular periods, and seem to ovulate most of the time but something isn't right as we have been ttc for 17 months with no luck!

roseability

You are a woman after my own heart. I think the BMI system is crap. In fact, I read a report on the web ( for the NHS ) where a study by medical students was held on how accurate a yardstick BMI is and basically they concluded that it can merely be used as a rough idea/guide as it does not take into account things like:

1. Body type
2. Frame size
3. Genetics

And so on ...

I am the same as you - At my slimmest ( size 12) I was 11 stone. According to my BMI range I think that still put me just into Obese. MADNESS ! Like you said a size 12 or 14 is NOT obese.

I was also diagnosed with PCOS last year.

Anyway, I won;t start a new rant.

Just wanted to say YOU GO GIRL!!!!! and I LOVE YOUR HUBBY! He is ssoooo supportive it is wonderful.

All the luck and hugs to the both of you!

HMS - sorry didn't mean to hijack your post and certainly didn't want to make it about me! I am absolutely for losing weight if this is what you want to do, and I am sure it can help ovulation. But I also hope you get treatment should losing weight prove too difficult or you still don't conceive. It sounds promising that you don't store weight on your middle, I unfortunately do! Don't give up hope. I have every PCOS symptom under the sun and I am overweight but I still conceived my DS and recently conceived again (although sadly it was a chemical pregnancy). Thinking of you x