After Wynter Mitchell endured three back-to-back unsuccessful pregnancies, her doctor advised her to look into in vitro fertilization. But she noticed the IVF specialists always focused on her weight.
They considered it a “hurdle” to the procedure, says Mitchell, who had a body mass index of 40 at that point, which is sometimes categorized as severe obesity.
She’s had polycystic ovary syndrome since she was a teenager and always had issues with her weight, she explains.
Women with PCOS have a hormonal imbalance and metabolism problems, with symptoms that include weight gain or difficulty losing weight, according to the Office on Women’s Health.
When the pounds wouldn’t come off despite working out and eating well, Mitchell shared her frustrations in a Facebook group for women trying to conceive. Someone suggested Ozempic, the Type 2 diabetes treatment. One of its side effects is weight loss.
Mitchell, who has insulin resistance because of PCOS, says she had no problems getting a prescription. She started taking Ozempic in July of 2022.
“Within a month, I dropped 20 pounds and it was marvelous. I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t lost that much weight since I was in my mid-30s. I just said, this is a way forward. This is going to get me to the finish line,” Mitchell, 43, a digital strategist who lives in Los Angeles, tells TODAY.com.
“If I got down to a weight that was reasonable for me to be seen, which seemed like it was a BMI of under 35 for all of these specialists, then there would be no question at this point. I would have a successful stimulation and a successful (egg) retrieval, which I ultimately ended up having.”
Mitchell’s BMI dropped to 33. She has lost 50 pounds so far and wants to continue taking Ozempic until she loses…
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