Courtney Reen and Josh Grant, from Hull, have been trying for a baby for seven years, but have been denied NHS-funded IVF more than three times due to Courtney’s low BMI
A couple desperate to become parents “more than anything” are devastated after being rejected for NHS-funded fertility treatment on more than three occasions, with a panel ruling the would-be mum is too thin.
Courtney Reen and Josh Grant have been forced to launch a fundraiser in hopes that the public can help them raise money for private treatment – though they believe they should be eligible for the procedure on the NHS. Courtney, 27, has consulted multiple dieticians and attempted to put on weight, but her BMI remains classified as too low to receive funded treatment.
She and Josh, 33, have been attempting to conceive for seven years and have been left devastated by the “heartbreaking” process that has seen them seek fertility help multiple times.
She said: “Me and Josh want this more than anything. We wanted it to happen before I turned 30. The process started seven years ago, that’s when we first went to the doctors. It’s so heartbreaking. This is our 7th year and we still haven’t even started the IVF process. We don’t know the full cost yet because there are a couple of routes.
“In my head I think about £12,000 and that’s if it is successful the first time.” After 12 months of attempting to conceive naturally when Courtney was 20, the pair consulted their GP and were referred to Hull and East Riding Fertility. All tests appeared normal – apart from Courtney’s BMI being classified as low.
Courtney explained: “I’m 5ft 6 and skinny, so that makes my BMI extremely low. I only weighed seven stone, so I asked them to refer me to a dietician. Within six months she told me I eat all the right stuff, if anything I eat more than what I need. She put it down to having a fast metabolism.”
“I told the fertility clinic I’d been discharged, they put a referral in, and it was declined by the NHS straight away because my BMI was too low.”
Courtney subsequently requested a second opinion from another dietician. She reveals that this time round, she was consuming protein shakes and high-calorie meals that left her feeling unwell. She told Hull Live: “Some of it was that high in calories it made me ill, because I was still eating normally and I was having too many calories. It was making me sick.
“The second dietician discharged me because my weight wasn’t going up. If you were to meet me, you wouldn’t say I’m underweight. I’ve got boobs and a bum and a bit of fat on my thighs. You don’t look at me and think ‘she needs to put on weight’.”
Courtney has a BMI of 16, based on her 42.4kg weight and 163cm height. The Hull Clinical Commissioning Group’s policy states: “The female patient’s BMI should be between 19 and 30 prior to referral to specialist services.”
A statement from NHS Humber and North Yorkshire’s Integrated Care Board said it understands that this can be “a sensitive and distressing issue” but low BMI “can have a significant impact on both the safety and effectiveness of fertility treatment, as well as pregnancy outcomes for both the mother and baby”.
Courtney has never met her biological father, and her mother shares a similar build. Her mum weighed under 8 stone when she gave birth to Courtney.
She points out that her work as a waitress keeps her on her feet “all day every day” and she is “constantly on the go and active”. “All the fertility clinicians think we’ll have success,” she said. “My periods are regular, my body is ready, my body is healthy.” She said: My consultant has tried to argue that against the board and they’ve declined it every time because of my BMI. Three GPs have written letters saying ‘we think it’s genetic and she’s healthy’.
“I understand them declining it the first time, when they’d not looked into why I was so slim. That’s why I then argued my case and asked for a second opinion from a dietician. The second time, I was a little bit shocked because the dietician wrote a letter. The third time I was more heartbroken. It’s somebody behind a computer screen that’s declining me. Am I not allowed to speak to them or meet them?”.
Courtney and Josh, from Sutton-on-Hull, first crossed paths while working at a local funfair and have now been together for nine years. Courtney said: “We were just friends at the start, he was helping at work and I travelled with them for a bit. It was actually my nanna who said ‘he’s the man for you’. And now my nanna’s not here to see the story. We think the baby is the next important step.”
Courtney says the choice to launch a GoFundMe page was not made lightly, and that it “took a lot of strength” to get it off the ground. All their money is going into a savings account to fund the treatment, though donations would go a long way towards helping them reach their target.
“We are just trying our hardest for something that we’ve wanted for so long,” she said. “We are full time workers, we have our own house. We are ready for a family. All my childhood I’ve wanted six or eight kids. And now I might not even have one and we need to do this before it’s too late.”
A spokesperson for NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said: “We understand that this can be a very sensitive and distressing issue for people who are hoping to start a family, particularly where they feel they are doing everything they can to improve their health. Across the NHS, access to fertility treatment is guided in part by clinical evidence and national recommendations, including those from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
“These recognise that a person’s body mass index (BMI) can have a significant impact on both the safety and effectiveness of fertility treatment, as well as pregnancy outcomes for both the mother and baby. Being significantly underweight or overweight is associated with increased risks, including complications during pregnancy and a lower likelihood of successful treatment.
“For this reason, many local NHS policies include a recommended BMI range within which treatment is considered safest and most effective. Where someone’s BMI falls outside of this range, they are usually offered advice and support, such as referral to appropriate clinical services, to help improve their overall health prior to treatment and maximise the chances of a successful outcome.
“We recognise that weight and underlying health factors can be complex and, in some cases, difficult to change. We would always encourage anyone affected to speak to their clinician about their individual circumstances and the support available to them.”
