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American Morning
Obese Women May Be Infertile
Aired July 01, 2002 - 07:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: More and more Americans are overweight. That creates major health problems, in some cases billions of dollars worth of expenses. And for some women, one unfortunate effect of obesity is infertility. But now there may be some hope.
And to tell us more about a new and radical approach to infertility, we turn to medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, who's standing by in Atlanta this morning at CNN Center -- good morning, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. Welcome back.
ZAHN: Thank you.
COHEN: You know, Paula, we don't usually think of obesity and infertility as being connected, but sometimes they are connected. And doctors I've been talking to have been surprised that a procedure never intended for infertility often helps women get pregnant.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN (voice-over): That big smile is because after five years of infertility...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember my mom said to me one day well, maybe you're not supposed to be a mom, you're supposed to be an aunt.
COHEN: ... Tanya Dice Lovelace (ph) finally managed to have a baby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I was like mother, I can't believe that you said that. And I refuse to accept that. I believe in a heavenly father and so long as there is one, I will have a child.
Can I have a kiss?
COHEN: Tanya (ph) didn't do in vitro or any of the other drugs we've all heard about. She did something new, something on the cutting edge. She had her stomach stapled. She went from 270 to 208 pounds. She got pregnant with Clarence on the first try and then about a year and a half later, Audia (ph) was born.
(on camera): This is just mind blowing that having gastric bypass surgery could help you get pregnant.
DR. MICHAEL ROSLIN, LENOX HILL HOSPITAL, NEW YORK: Well, the whole thing is mind boggling.
COHEN (voice-over): Dr. Michael Roslin at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City did Tanya's (ph) surgery. He explains that obesity can cause serious hormonal imbalances in some women. Whacked out hormones can mean no pregnancy.
ROSLIN: Then as they lose weight, they become very, very fertile.
COHEN: So far, there have been no studies to prove gastric bypass works for infertility, just anecdotal evidence. Dr. Roslin says about a dozen of his previously infertile patients got pregnant after the surgery. This radical approach to infertility isn't for everyone. As a rule, surgeons won't do it unless you're at least 100 pounds overweight and have tried to lose weight in other, less drastic ways. And you have to be willing to change your eating habits forever.
After the surgery, the stomach goes from this size to just this size, which means tiny meals for the rest of your life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I have a kiss?
COHEN: As obesity rates continue to skyrocket in the United States, more infertile women may look to stomach stapling as a solution, but doctors warn it's a drastic step and while it seems to work for some obese women, it won't work for everyone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Now, Tanya (ph) decided to try gastric bypass surgery when her sister, who had had infertility problems, tried the surgery herself and she got pregnant with twins -- Paula.
ZAHN: But, Elizabeth, you also made it quite clear that doctors say it doesn't work for all obese women. Do they know before they have the surgery done whether it has a good chance of working or not?
COHEN: They do, Paula. They have a pretty good idea. What they look for is some of those hormonal imbalances that I mentioned in the story. For example, some women have what's called insulin resistance. They make insulin, which is a hormone, but their body is resistant to it. They don't know what to do with it. And that's a clue that perhaps this surgery will work.
ZAHN: And will most insurance policies pay for this procedure?
COHEN: You know, I was surprised that they actually would. Dr. Roslin and the other doctors I talked to who do this procedure said insurance usually does, and it's because these women are usually 100 pounds or more overweight and have medical problems, for example, insulin resistance. So surgery apparently -- I mean, insurance apparently usually does pay for it. ZAHN: And once again, what would be the average cost of this procedure if someone were having it done?
COHEN: I'm sorry, can you say that again?
ZAHN: The average cost of the procedure if you were going to have this done?
COHEN: It depends. We're talking sometimes $25,000. It depends on who's doing it and where it's being done. But as I said, everyone who I talked to, insurance did pay for it.
ZAHN: You know, it's interesting, I guess it sounds like a heck of a lot of money, but I guess what they do is look at the long-term costs of some of the potential health problems an obese person might have down the road. And I guess that there's a cost-ratio benefit there.
COHEN: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.
ZAHN: Thanks, Elizabeth. A great story.
COHEN: Thank you.
ZAHN: Boy, for someone who was counting on being an aunt, what a pleasant -- two pleasant miracles, two healthy babies.
COHEN: A pleasant surprise, yes.
ZAHN: Bye, Elizabeth.
COHEN: OK.
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