Obese women to be denied IVF treatment

Scotland is about to establish guidelines that will deny obese women access to IVF treatment, according to a story in the Sunday Times - Scotland. The recommendation follows studies that show Scotland has one of the lowest success rates for IVF in Europe with a life birth rate of only 2%. Furthermore, inducing pregnancy in severely overweight women represents a health hazard for both mother and child.

The limit being considered is a body mass index (BMI) of 36 - above that and IVF may be denied. A BMI of 30 or more indicates a person is obese and a BMI of 40 or more morbidly obese. The likely hood of serious medical complications during pregnancy increases dramatically for highly obese women.