Denied Clomid because PCT say I am overweight

Hi Heartmoonshadow
I'm sorry to hear about this, but losing weight is really something you can take control of. So don't be too disheartened! I lost two stone using the GI diet about three years ago - I lost the weight over a period of about 3 months - and have kept it off. I'm not an advocate of faddy diets but this one is really practical and easy to live with - as it's all about your blood sugar it means you can snack away on healthy snacks all day long - I loved it as felt like I was eating plenty . Keeping a diary is a great first step. It's good to hear that your ratio is good and that your tests are good, but you'll feel so much better about your self when you lose this weight!

Heartmoonshadow - you say you eat a fairly healthy diet but to be 4 stone over weight, even with PCOS, you must be eating many more calories than you are burning off.

Excercise whould, as yousay, be an excelent place to start. Would your OH join you in regular (maybe 3 times a week) excercising?

I have read this thread and find it interesting that someone can be refused clomid until they have lost weight - reasons presumably being that losing weight could resolve the fertility issue or make the treatment more likely to work.

I knew someone who had fertility treatment and was prescribed clomid despite continuing to smoke. I asked at the time hadn't her GP/consultant required her to give up smoking before she got this treatment but she was adamant that they didn't mention it and both knew?! At the time I found it pretty crazy that as a first step a woman with fertility preblems was not advised to give up smoking which I'm sure can reduce your fertility by 25%? And was given fertility drugs whilst continuing to smoke?

As a matter of fact the clomid didn't work for her but happily she went on to give up smoking (as did her partner) and they conceived naturally straight away.

blimey - thought I was being helpful

good luck

tata

no-one has been insensitive. no-one has said heartmoonshadow should not be a mother

why are people so quick to dismiss all this good, sound, intelligent advice as insensitive , for stating the obvious:

weight does affect fertility

being overweight can complicate conception, pregnancy and birth

losing weight could negate the need for fertility treatment or make the treatment more effective

no-one has said she should not be a mother anywhere on this thread

a shame that pointing out that weight loss might actually help TTC has people branded as insensitive

hms, clomid is just the first step of many fertility treatments. if clomid doesnt work then you move onto the next procedure then the one after. at each stage you will be assessed, its best to lose it now rather than 3 to 5 years down the line if you are waiting for ivf. you weight will always be an issue, deal with it now.

I am really not trying to be insensitive - it is part of my job to research the causes of serious complications in pregnancy. It is important that women have the right information to safeguard their own health and that of their children, and to understand why sometimes the risks of certain treatments outweigh the benefits.

Heartmoonshadow don't let insensitive comments stop you believing in your right to be a mother. Does having an ideal BMI make you a great mother? Will it stop you loving your baby, doing the best for them, being there for them and enjoying motherhood? You have a right to fertility treatment and to have a baby, whatever your size.

Can you get a second opinion elsewhere?

associated.

I am sorry that you are in this situation. But - it is dangerous to be pregnant and overweight - for you and the baby. If you lost weight your fertility problems might be reduced. I really hope you can get the support and help you need to lose weight.

I hate to say this, but imagine the scenario if the doctor prescribed clomid, you conceived, and then something happened to you or the baby because of the increased risks accosiated with obesity. Everyone would be up in arms complaining that the doctor had been irresponsible and put you at risk.

I note they checked cholesterol levels but it looks like they did not do any checks on insulin. Some PCOSers are insulin resistant; this can be a factor in not losing weight easily.

I know you would like clomid but would not focus entirely on this. Btw I have PCOS too and was not considered suitable to take this drug treatment even though it is usually offered initially.

Clomid is not always ideal for women with PCOS as some of them can become clomid resistant. It encourages the production of LH - as many women with PCOS have an excess of this hormone to start with clomid is often the last thing they need. It is quite a powerful drug treatment and women with PCOS should be monitored whilst on it with ideally blood tests and ultrasounds.

Verity is a good website:-

www.verity-pcos.org.uk. This has a lot of information on it.

WW and such like are not really helpful; following a low GI/GL eating plan may well help.

hi bran
io have been on metformin was put on them as soon as my gp saw i had pcos on my ultra sound itwas only on my right ovary then 6 months later after being on metformin i had another ultrasound to see if it helped but they found i had it on both ovaries now my gp told me to carry on taking it and upped my dosage i lost 2 stone with the metformin i stopped taking them 1 year ago under instructions from my consultant who believes they are not very good for fertility

hms

i cant believe they wont even give you metformin i have only 3 syptoms of pcos overwieght , cysts and body hair why dont you change your gp ?

hannaflowerisnaha

how do you no so much about clomid ?

You do have symptoms of PCOS - you're overweight and, possibly from your posts, a bit depressed. Those are symptoms. What does your GP want to see, a full-flowing beard??? S/he is clearly not well informed about PCOS, considering the lack of advice you've had on diet as well.

You need to take charge of caring for your PCOS and your fertility yourself - doctors aren't always the answer, as I've discovered to my cost over the years. You have far more power to improve your fertility yourself than any doctor has. I'm not saying 'don't get Clomid' of course. Just don't trust the doctors to sort this situation out for you. No matter how much/little funding there is, there's only so much they can do.

but did your GP know that with your BMI you would be sent away ? it is not a wild goose chase, you now know that you need to lose some weight and can go back in 6 months......it is not your doctor's fault yuo did not start losing weight before now...time will go quickly, and hopefully you will get somewhere when you go back

can you get confrimation from the hospital you do have PCOS and get a prescription for the metformin? can you speak with the person you saw today or their secretary?

But very few women with PCOS have all the symptoms. I suspect you might need a new GP.

have a good rant on here, and then get out for a walk!
you sound well-informed, and receptive to advice and new ideas, so i think you'll be alright
it starts today, eh?

Hi everyone,

What about the Slimming World diet? I've not tried it, but I have seen some amazing results in other people and I'm sure they could help tailor it to a diabetic...

HMS - I'm sorry about what you are experiencing. However, I do agree with what some of the others are saying...it's not that you're being denied treatment, it's just that you've been given some recommendations for how treatment can be enhanced, or even become unnecessary!! If you look at it that way, then in a sense you are being treated. Plus if you continue to BD, who knows it might happen (also think of the calories it burns!)

BSL
x

Oh, and do prepare yourself for the weight to come off slowly and don't measure yourself against the weight loss of people who don't have PCOS. Even if they're following exactly the same diet they'll lose more weight than you initially, which can be really dispiriting. It just takes more persistence to lose it if you have PCOS but it can be done, honestly! And it's worth it - I didn't realised how depressed I was until my hormone levels normalised.

think GI diet, rather than restricting your diet, change it to low glycaemic index foods

Actually, Weightwatchers is not a particularly great diet for people with PCOS. I did it for quite a while (5 months I think) and I stuck absolutely to the points, wrote down everything that I ate and did loads of exercise and every week I lost half to one pound. A low GI diet works much better than simple calorie restriction as women with PCOS can go into famine mode very quickly (where they body does it best to protect fat stores expecting there to be an extended food shortage). If you would rather have a structured diet than the South Beach diet is supposed to be pretty good for PCOS.

Can't your GP prescribe metformin?