Fertility Clinic

[AK89]

I've finally attended the long-awaited consultant appointment where I was just told to come back after I've reached a BMI of 30 = at least 84kg

I explained to them that I was sitting at around 70kg before I came off the pill last year and that all my weight gain happened within the first 2months of coming off the pill, but the consultant wasn't interested and said they wouldn't consider Clomid/IUI or anything until I came down to the required weight.

I asked what would happen if I couldn't quite hit the required weight while my hormones are all over the place but manage to come close, to which they responded "well then you can forget about getting any treatment"

I'm obviously going to put my heart and soul into getting rid of these 10kgs but I'm really worried about worst case scenario here.

Has anyone on here been told something similar but then found they were made an exception?

Just wanted to know if I've been given the correct information?

[Worried546]

Hey

I’m really sorry to hear that you are going through this.

As far as I’m aware, PCOS of course makes it hard to lose weight but that this is due to PCOS causing symptoms which makes it harder to make healthy choices (e.g tiredness).

I.e it is a fact that if you consume less calories and burn more through exercise, you will lose weight, regardless of whether you have the most serious case of PCOS or not.

That’s not to say it is not difficult due to the cravings, mood disruption and tiredness which makes healthy choices harder to make, but the basic mechanism of losing weight (consume less and exercise more) does not change in PCOS sufferers.

I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad who struggles with their weight, but trying to give hope that there isn’t some ‘hormonal’ reason that is out of your control that’s causing weight gain - but that the other symptoms of PCOS make it harder to resist unhealthy choices. So I hope this gives you some optimism that you are able to reduce you BMI and good luck!! I think it’s unlikely they will give treatment until you lose weight. I believe this is due to a number of reasons - mainly the evidence that shows how lifestyle choices are the most important treatment approach in PCOS and that many of the medications simply don’t work as well if lifestyle isn’t changed first.

[Hols969]

Mine was 30.6 when I conceived Noah but was more than that when I started fertility (I was never weighed though so I obviously hid my fat somewhere lol even though I am short)- some NHS areas are really strict, some not so - some say it has to be 25 which I would never have got down to! What age are you ? I was 33 when I started TTC and 36 when I conceived Noah (via IUI). I presume your partner has been tested already?

You do need to eat considerably less just to maintain your weight, if you ate the RDA you would still put on 2lb a month so over a stone a year.

I know lots of ladies who have lost weight on the Norah Lane diet (one 7 stone in a year and conceived naturally too) so may be worth looking at her new book that is due out - I lost 2 stone in the first 3 months and found it easy to follow (obviously wont suit everyone) and pretty much have maintained my weight (fluctuate about a stone) for about 8 years now.

[Hols969 in reply to Hols969]

theanswertopcos.com

This is her website BTW - Norah really understands pcos and wrote the first book in consultation with Verity so learned a lot on the way so really knows the struggles with pcos and weight.

[AK89 in reply to Hols969]

Thanks for this Hols969, you give me hope!

I've now ordered the book, so fingers crossed.

I'm 29 at the moment and we've been ttc for a year and a half. Within the first 3 months is when I gained the bulk of my weight. So frustrating!

But my husband and I have agreed that I need to be less concerned about hitting the gym every day and more concerned with the food that actually goes inside my mouth. Hectic lifestyle sometimes means I tend to miss meals and then eat mindlessly when I get the chance.

As we're based in London, they're pretty strict as they're so busy. They've told us if I can bring my weight back down then they'll look into starting me on Chlomid + IUI to give me the best chance. Hoping to shift this weight sooner rather than later!

[Hols969 in reply to AK89]

I was the same - I put on 3 stone when I came off the pill to TTC - it just seemed to pile on - I sort of found exercise confused matters as I think I was eating too little and exercising so storing. I didnt exercise at all on the Norah Lane diet so just concentrated on the food aspect, you do need to be totally organised though which can feel a bit of a faff but is so worth it so you dont binge as you have got over hungry!

Look at the fertilityfriend website too as it advises signs to look for that suggest ovulation, periods dont really mean much, I had relatively regular ones but rarely ovulated. Also if you track your temperature too then you can take this to your next fertility appointment so they will see what your cycle is doing.

You will get there in the end, just can take a bit of patience!!! You have 10 years before your fertility will be an issue as our egg quality remains better for longer (one advantage of pcos) so ignore that ticking clock.