Fertility and Larger Bodies

Truth: there is no direct tie to body size and fertility.

Rant time. I can’t tell you how often patients tell horror stories of quality of care and discrimination for the size of their body. This happens time and time again in healthcare. People in larger bodies go longer with health problems not because of their bodies because no one listens. But today we focus on my true love, fertility.

Here’s the story. A patient walks into a fertility clinic because she has been trying for a year. The doctor immediately tells her she can’t get pregnant until she loses weight. I’ve even had patients get recommendations to have major surgeries done to promote weight loss. This is not healthcare. Everybody deserves equality.

The fact is, there is no direct research proving body size is tied to infertility. For example, PCOS is getting diagnosed more and more in women of all sizes, it’s not one size fits all. Everybody deserved to get treatment regardless of size. I often tell my patients they have to advocate, for example saying “how would someone of a smaller size be treated for this?” The fact that women are not being heard makes my blood boil. You have every damn right to be. Find a provider that will listen. HAES providers can be found and searched for online.

Women’s health is very complex and I stand by Chinese Medicine because we find the root cause. Holding patients hands and teaching them to advocate through this challenging process is a deep passion. Fertility is challenging enough, NO ONE should go unheard! Much much love~ Katie