Overweight women are being unfairly denied free IVF treatment on the NHS as part of cost-cutting measures, a leading researcher has claimed.
Dr Rebecca Brown from Oxford University says obese females have just as much right as slimmer ladies and weight has nothing to do with how successful the treatment will be.
She believes those with a high BMI are "easy targets" for trusts looking to save money.
Dr Brown has now penned a damning report criticising Clinical Commission Groups (CCGs) in England who she claims ration free IVF cycles based on a person’s Body Mass Index.
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Writing in the journal Health Care Analysis, she says there’s little evidence to suggest IVF works any worse in overweight women than it does in women who fall within ‘healthy’ BMI parameters.
She fears obese ladies are being shunned and stigmatised because of a prejudicial ‘blame culture’.
Dr Brown said: "I have advocated a sceptical stance towards ‘evidence-based’ justifications for excluding obese people from NHS-funded IVF treatment.
“I have argued that the lack of high quality evidence regarding the effectiveness of IVF in both obese and non-obese populations.
“Claims that the evidence is of sufficient clarity to make decisive cost-effectiveness cut-offs appropriate is disingenuous.
“Rather, I propose that references to the cost-inefficiency of providing IVF to obese people may mask other influences, such as negative attitudes towards obese people that render them easy targets for cost-cutting commissioners.
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“My claim is not that it is cost-effective to provide IVF to obese women, but that there is insufficient evidence to show that it is significantly less cost-effective than to provide it to non-obese women."
Between 2013 and 2017, the number of Clinical Commission Groups (CCG) in England offering the recommended three cycles of IVF to those who met all criteria halved, from 24 per cent to 12 per cent.
In January, Oldham's CCG became the latest to announce plans to reduce the number of IVF cycles offered to new patients from three to one, in a bid to save £147,500 a year.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines suggest, ‘Women who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or over should be informed that they are likely to take longer to conceive.’
While the health body does not explicitly advise against providing IVF to obese women, the guidance has prompted many CCGs to ration free cycles of IVF only to women who have a BMI between 19 and 29.9.
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Dr Brown admits obesity is a risk factor for reduced fertility with pregnancies in the overweight associated with higher risk of complications.
But she believes it is wrong to describe IVF treatment as ‘futile' in obese women but not non-obese women.
She points to a North American study which found live birth rates in morbidly obese women – those with a BMI over 35 – being not much lower than in those in the healthy weight range.
She is also critical of the way NICE assesses cost-effectiveness of treatment.
And Dr Brown’s view has also been endorsed by one leading UK assisted reproduction expert.
Dr Hana Visnova, medical director at the IVF Cube clinic, who treat many British and Irish patients each year, said: "Obesity is seen by many health professionals as a factor in the chances any woman has of becoming pregnant, but clearly there are many slender people who also fail to conceive.
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“Age is the main factor which plays a role in the likelihood of pregnancy, and that is why IVF treatment on the NHS in England and Wales is not offered to women aged over 42.
“The reasons for this include the fact that egg quality starts to decrease after the age of 30 and after 35 both egg quality and quantity are significantly reduced.
“But here are many other reasons why a woman may struggle to conceive, including ovary malfunction endometriosis, and hormonal malfunction, premature menopause, and blocked tubes — not just their weight.
“National health bodies such as the UK’s NHS have had to make cost savings due to financial pressures, and sadly IVF treatment is one area where this has happened.
“Other reasons for limiting IVF may remain contentious and subject to debate, but Dr Brown’s analysis is interesting.”
The NHS Clinical Commissioners has been contacted for a comment.
