Special Considerations in Assisted Reproductive Technology for Patients with Obesity.

Abstract

Obesity rates are rising and patients with obesity may disproportionately seek fertility preservation and fertility treatment due to higher risk of related disease. At the same time, IVF centers across the United States are increasingly setting BMI cut-offs above which treatment will not be provided. Patients experience these limits as another example of stigma in healthcare as well as an access challenge, exacerbating the distress of infertility. A healthy lifestyle in the long-term should be the focus rather than an arbitrary BMI, which is a flawed measure of health. Tailoring IVF treatment to patients with larger bodies, including patient-specific medication dosing, approach to oocyte retrieval, and anesthesia support for optimal safety, has demonstrated equal success and complication rates to patients who fall under typical BMI cut-offs. Many infertility treatment programs can and should access the resources needed to safely and effectively treat patients across the full range of BMIs.