Fat and Fertile

<p><em>Episode 36: Told to Take Ozempic Before Fertility Treatment - Do You Have to?</em></p><p>If you have been told that taking a GLP-1 is your only option before you can access fertility treatment, that is not a choice. That is coercion. Here is what you can do instead.</p><p>In this episode:</p><p>- Why doctors telling fat folks to take Ozempic before fertility treatment is coercion, not informed consent</p><p>- The 2025 Novo Nordisk-funded study being used to justify it, and why that should raise alarm bells</p><p>- Four real alternatives to explore if you have been put in this position</p><p><strong>You do not have to make your body smaller to deserve fertility care. There are options, even if the system has not shown them to you.</strong></p><p>Resources:</p><p>- <a target="_blank" href="https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/clinics">BMI-inclusive clinic list</a> updated regularly with clinics from around the world</p><p>- <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fatpositivefertility.com/products/courses/view/29">Book a Fat Positive Fertility Roadmap Session</a></p><p>- Get the book: <a target="_blank" href="https://mybook.to/fatandfertile">Fat and Fertile</a></p><p>Have questions? Share your story in the Substack comments. I would love to hear from you.</p><p></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Fat and Fertile at <a href="https://fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe</a>

<p><strong>Should I Take a GLP-1 for My Fertility?</strong></p><p>If you're being told you need to lose weight before you can access fertility treatment, and GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro are part of that conversation, this episode is for you. Because you deserve to make this decision with the full picture, not just the version the pharmaceutical companies want you to hear.</p><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><p>Why GLP-1s are increasingly being offered to fat folks wanting to get pregnant, and why the logic behind that recommendation is shakier than it's presented as</p><p>The genuine potential benefits worth knowing about, including for folks with PCOS, insulin resistance, or type 2 diabetes, and why access to care is a real and valid consideration</p><p>The risks that often go unmentioned, including nutritional deficiencies, weight regain after stopping, and the absence of long-term human pregnancy safety data</p><p>Why the research linking weight loss to better fertility outcomes tells a more complicated story, and what it's more likely actually showing</p><p>Four questions to sit with before making your decision, so that whatever you choose, you're choosing it with your eyes open</p><p><strong>This is the first in a four-part series on GLP-1s this month.</strong></p><p><strong>Useful links:</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fertility-roadmap">Fat Positive Fertility Roadmap Sessions</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.fatpositivefertility.com/products/courses/view/50">Free download: Fat Person's Guide to Getting Pregnant</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/fatpositivefertility/">Follow Nicola on Instagram: @fatpositivefertility</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Fat and Fertile at <a href="https://fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe</a>

<p>If you've been hurt by the healthcare system while trying to access fertility care, you are not alone, and you are not broken. This episode is for anyone who has experienced harm, dismissal, or humiliation from healthcare providers and is now caught in the incredibly difficult position of needing care from a system that has already hurt them.</p><p><strong>In this episode, we cover:</strong></p><p>What healthcare trauma actually looks like, and why so many fat folks experience it without ever naming it that way</p><p>How your nervous system responds to perceived threats (fight, flight, fawn, and freeze) and why your fear is not self-sabotage</p><p>The <strong>Prepare and Care</strong> framework: practical steps to support yourself before and after appointments</p><p>The difference between advocacy mode and survival mode, and why it matters</p><p>How to find trauma-informed providers, and what to do when that's not possible</p><p><strong>Key takeaway:</strong> Your fear of being harmed again is a completely rational, protective response. You do not have to be in advocacy mode all the time. Sometimes just getting through the appointment is enough.</p><p><strong>Resources & Links</strong></p><p>📖 <a target="_blank" href="https://mybook.to/fatandfertile"><em>Fat and Fertile</em></a> </p><p>🌿 Work with Nicola: <a target="_blank" href="https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/roadmap">Fat Positive Fertility Roadmap </a></p><p>📱 Instagram: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/fatpositivefertility">@fatpositivefertility</a></p><p>📧 Email: <a target="_blank" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Fat and Fertile at <a href="https://fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe</a>

<p>This week's episode is about something I hear constantly and it makes me genuinely angry. You can't access fertility care until you lose weight. But you can't access support to lose weight. And they won't investigate the health condition that might be causing everything in the first place. Round and round you go.</p><p>If you're stuck in this loop right now, this one is for you. And the first thing I want you to know is: it is not your fault.</p><p>In this episode we cover:</p><p>Why the NHS BMI cutoffs for fertility treatment are arbitrary, not evidence based, and not actually NICE guidelines</p><p>Why this catch 22 is intentional and how the system has been designed to exclude people in bigger bodies</p><p>How to advocate for your health conditions separately from your fertility goals, and why this matters</p><p>Practical steps to document refusals, push back, and escalate if you have the capacity to do so</p><p>How to take care of your mental and emotional health when you're fighting a system that should be fighting for you</p><p>Useful Links:</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.fatpositivefertility.com/guide">Download: Fat Person's Guide to Getting Pregnant</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fertility-roadmap">Book a Fat Positive Fertility Roadmap Call</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/fatpositivefertility">Follow me on Instagram</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="mailto:[email protected]">Email me a question for a future episode</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Fat and Fertile at <a href="https://fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe</a>

<p>This week's episode is a permission slip. If you've been drowning in fertility diet advice and quietly wondering whether you're doing enough, this one is for you.</p><p>Spoiler: you probably already are.</p><p>In this episode we cover:</p><p>Why "eat enough" is the only nutrition advice that actually matters, and why that's harder to hear than it sounds</p><p>How the fertility diet industry profits from making us feel like we're always one superfood away from getting pregnant</p><p>Why your relationship with food matters far more than any specific foods you're eating</p><p>What the social determinants of health tell us about how little individual food choices actually impact fertility</p><p>Why the "perfect diet" is rooted in diet culture, capitalism, and colonialism, and what that means for how we think about food</p><p>Useful Links:</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.fatpositivefertility.com/guide">Download: Fat Person's Guide to Getting Pregnant</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fertility-roadmap">Book a Fat Positive Fertility Roadmap Call</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/fatpositivefertility">Follow me on Instagram</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="mailto:[email protected]">Email me a question for a future episode</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Fat and Fertile at <a href="https://fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe</a>