IVF BMI of 31. Quick Question!

[PurpleRayne89]

Hey Mumsnetters,

I am due to start IVF. I weight 82.5KG and I am 5’4 which equates to a BMI of 31. I am going private. I wanted to ask whether anyone has gotten pregnant through IVF or naturally with a BMI greater than 29? I have been on a 16:8 fast, quit sugar it all it forms, Only drink water and walk everywhere, I’ve been set up a home gym but stopped using recently due to costocondritis.

All stories are worth the read, weight loss advice too.

Conceived all four of my children between BMI 31 and 46 (aged 39-46 too!). All healthy, all wonderful gifts. I know I'm very lucky. Concentrate on your overall health and well-being, rather than the numbers for best chance of success. Good luck!

It might vary by clinic but I think my private clinic required a BMI below 30.

You can easily do that in a week if you must, plenty of water and veg?

The time my pregnancy stuck I was the lightest ever (still probably a BMI of 28 or something but i was running 3x a week and taking all the vitamins religiously etc)

I was hovering on BMI 30 and had to get below for my NHS round, which I managed - that round didn't work.

On my private round they didn't ask but was probably around 30 / 31 BMI - that round didn't work.

I don't think it was at all related to my weight, just poor quality eggs.

8 months later I have got pregnant naturally at BMI around 31 again - so far so good!

Thank you all for your individual stories. I’m still trying to lose a few more pounds to bring it down. hopefully im able to do this whilst taking the medication.

Would you consider Wegovy? I'm on it and think it's brilliant.

My BMI was around 30 when I had IVF. I was 39 and the first round was a success.

@Tailfeather ive approached my GP re Wegovy and they don’t yet provide it in my area. Are you getting this privately? I was considering using for a month to see how I get on. Im using orlistat but it doesn’t seem to be working.

I conceived my son naturally with a BMI of 47, so while weight can affect fertility it isn't a guarantee.

I'm 5.4 and my BMI is permanently around 30. Had IVF 3 times and have 3 LOs. Good luck.

I conceived my son with a BMI of over 40. Trying to get it down now before TTC No. 2. Wishing you all the luck in the world @PurpleRayne89.

Just FYI - weight loss injections / GLP1 inhibitors are not recommended if you're TTC.

@LolaJ87 thanks for this knowledge, i looked it up and you have to be off them for 3 months before ttc. I’ll give them a miss. My private doctor doesn’t seem too pushed at the moment. Thanks for your well wishes, I do appreciate it. All the best with your fertility journey.

BMI of 34 with both of my successful IVF pregnancies. My clinic weighed me at the beginning of both rounds but didn't mention anything about weight loss. Don't focus on your weight. Just eat a healthy balanced diet and maintain a positive mind set.

@WutheringMights solid advice - thanks!!

There is an absolute correlation between healthy BMI and IVF success. It’s great to hear others have achieved it but if you have a high BMI you are more likely to have your cycle cancelled (no eggs or other complications), lower number of eggs retrieved, lowered fertilisation rates and lower live birth rate. It’s probably the worst risk factor for IVF failure other than drug abuse.

Do you have any references for this? I’m genuinely interested.

I pay privately and lost a stone my first month, so it could be a quick way to get into the 'overweight' bracket. But yes, it is expensive! (But you do spend less on food, so there is an offset).

@Tailfeather thanks ☺️ I’ll discuss with my doctor to see whether he feels postponing treatment would be worth it.

Wegovy is excellent for weight loss but I would be wary of using it when trying to conceive as the long term effects on the baby are not known. I know you would likely
postpone IVF but I would be concerned about the drug still being in your system.

@PurpleFlower1983 Good point. I guess as it’s relatively new that doctors cannot be entirely sure either.

A lot of private clinics allow up to a BMI of 40 for private IVF.

I'm currently 33weeks pregnant after a successful frozen transfer in a private clinic

My BMI was 34.8 doing the Transfer . For approx. 2 weeks before my transfer, i cut carbs and sugar out and ate about 1000 cals a day to get it down . its not ideal but for short periods, it worked. I made sure to fill up on fruit and veg and lots of protein and tried to walk every day.

My BMI is back up to 35 now but I think that's reasonable given im pregnant . I think i have put on about 4-6lbs in the last 33 weeks. I've had a pretty good pregnancy so far and my midwife is not bothered about my BMI.

If it’s any help to your motivation - being obese is a nightmare whilst looking after a toddler. Raising children is exhausting, I couldn’t imagine doing it when I’ve been at my heaviest and getting out of breath going up the stairs etc. try and get as fit as you can, your body will thank you!

True true, but tbf looking after a toddler is very good exercise which will help with the weight loss!

This is and excellent study which lays out the facts https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2970793/