{"id":52888,"date":"2019-12-12T10:40:48","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T10:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=52888"},"modified":"2020-06-06T11:30:33","modified_gmt":"2020-06-06T11:30:33","slug":"inpoverty-overweight-and-trying-for-a-baby-losing-weight-to-conceive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/in-poverty\/inpoverty-overweight-and-trying-for-a-baby-losing-weight-to-conceive","title":{"rendered":"#InPoverty: Overweight and trying for a baby? The NHS’s lack of fertility support"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Although 60% of adults are overweight, women are being denied access to fertility treatment with no assistance because of their size<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Infertility can be extremely isolating. The journey is not only financially challenging, but it affects all areas of life – relationships, careers and health<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Getting pregnant is generally portrayed as an easy thing to do. With one contraceptive slip up, a bundle of joy will appear in nine months. Sadly, for many, this is not the reality. 
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Approximately, 84% of couples will conceive naturally within a year of having regular unprotected sex. However, one in seven<\/a> couples will suffer from infertility according to the NHS. 
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A large proportion of the one in seven will be denied treatment due to body mass index (BMI) barriers. Imagine being told that you can\u2019t receive treatment because you’re overweight, with no advice or support given in return? This is the reality for many of those struggling with infertility. 
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The Welsh Government acknowledges that the nation is suffering an obesity epidemic, with 60% of adults overweight, they have outlined plans to tackle the issue with their Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales<\/a> initiative.\u00a0
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The most deprived areas in Wales have the highest rates<\/a> of obesity, 28% of adults in these areas were obese in 2018\/19, compared with 22% of adults in the least deprived areas.
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The Food Foundation<\/a>\u2019s report on the affordability of the UK\u2019s Eatwell Guide<\/a> (a guide outlining what\u2019s needed for a balanced and healthy diet), found that the cost<\/a> of such a diet would estimate to be \u00a341.93 per adult, per week – a cost that many can\u2019t afford. 
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Abigail Scott Paul works for The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, an organisation working to solve<\/a> UK poverty. 
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Living in poverty creates a stressful environment where less immediate priorities, such as losing weight feel unobtainable when it\u2019s more important to focus on surviving.\u201d
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As one of the fattest nations in Europe, what support is currently being given to those who are struggling to start a family? More importantly, have weight issues prevented them from qualifying for help?
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90% of people going through<\/a> infertility are depressed and 42% feel suicidal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A \u2018soft target\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertility Network UK<\/a>, the leading patient-focused fertility charity, outlines<\/a> that in Wales, \u201cWomen accessing IVF treatment must have a BMI of between at least 19 and up to and including 30.\u201d
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Dr Rebecca Brown, a postdoctoral research fellow at Oxford University, has argued<\/a> that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that IVF is any less successful with women who are overweight, and that obese people are a \u201csoft target\u201d for cost cutting. 
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\u201cNegative attitudes towards obese people render them as easy targets for cost cutting commissioners,\u201d she says. 
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Alice Matthews is Wales\u2019s coordinator for Fertility Network UK and speaks to women regularly about their fertility journey. 
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\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t believe how many I speak to who have been refused help or access to fertility treatment because of their weight, it\u2019s so upsetting for people,\u201d Alice confesses. 
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\u201cI think the hardest thing is just being told, \u2018You\u2019re too fat, lose some weight\u2019, these really negative comments. It\u2019s stressful. What do we do when we\u2019re stressed? We eat.
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\u201cIf you are trying to lose weight, follow a balanced healthy lifestyle and be active everyday – it\u2019s not rocket science. That\u2019s the problem, the advice is very simple, it\u2019s just hard to execute without proper physical and emotional support,\u201d says Alice. 
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Tracey Sainsbury, a fertility counsellor at London\u2019s Women\u2019s Clinic<\/a>, a private organisation that provides fertility treatments, speaks to women who have been denied treatment because they are overweight on a weekly basis. Tracey believes that programmes like Slimming World or Weight Watchers can be useful for fertility weight loss, but understands that women still require additional support. 
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Support is often vital for those wanting to lose weight. Weight loss groups like Slimming World start at \u00a34.95 a week. The cost of support coupled with the cost of eating healthy isn\u2019t financially viable for many.
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In Wales, the mean intake of sugar is two times higher than the recommended maximum for adults, with the majority of people eating more calories than needed. Alongside this, only half<\/a> of adults get enough physical activity, and a third<\/a> undertake no physical activity at all.
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If you’re under 35, you have a 29% chance of having a successful round of IVF with the NHS. As Dr Rebecca Brown has argued, there is insufficient evidence to support the fact that treatment is less successful for those with a \u2018normal\u2019 BMI
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10 years of emotional negligence <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fehmida Motana decided she wanted to start growing her family back in 2001. She was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome after having several miscarriages. As a result, Fehmida gained 30kg (4st 7lbs) \u201calmost overnight.\u201d 
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Because of her weight, Fehmida was denied access to fertility treatment for almost 10 years. 
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All they (the NHS) kept saying was \u2018Just come back when you lose weight\u2019, they didn\u2019t offer any support.\u201d
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\u201cI was losing weight incredibly slowly, you\u2019re in a spiral of anxiety and depression. I\u2019m not excusing the fact that I was overweight, I think if there is a medical reason for the weight, nutritionists or dieticians under the NHS should work together to provide extra support,\u201d she said. 
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Fehmida had a rapid period of weight loss, losing 30kg (4st 7lbs), but still remained 2kg (0st 3lb) over the threshold. 
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The NHS still wouldn\u2019t provide Fehmida with support, advice or treatment. Finally, after 10 years of waiting, she decided to book a private appointment at another clinic. 
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The private clinic told Fehmida that they could use discretion and agreed to treat her on the NHS.
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\u201cThey ended our 10 years of agony waiting for IVF, and saved us thousands of pounds,\u201d Fehmida explained. 
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In May, with help from IVF on the NHS, Fehmida gave birth to twin girls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike 84% of couples, Fehmida\u2019s journey was a painful one. After 17 years of trying for a baby, 10 of those years were prohibited by BMI barriers. She was not given the correct help, support or advice throughout her infertility struggles.
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For those struggling to lose weight, eat healthy and budget for support, the only other option is private treatment, which often costs<\/a> in excess of \u00a35,000. The enormous cost of private fertility treatment is simply out of reach. These women are trapped in a cycle of unattainable weight loss and anxiety.
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