Pregnant Bake Off star Laura Adlington, 36, reveals she 'wasted a lot of time and money' on fertility experts who told her to lose weight as she opens up about her IVF journey
- Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.com
Laura Adlington has shared her frustration at numerous fertility experts who told her she 'needed to lose weight' before she fell pregnant with her 'miracle' IVF baby.
The Great British Bake Off star, 36, revealed in 2022 that she had to come to terms with the fact she may never have a family after being told by doctors she would need to lose around 14 stone in order to conceive.
Yet last week, the amateur baker and body positivity advocate surprised fans when she announced that she and her husband Matt were expecting their first child.
In a bid to help her followers that may be going through a similar struggle, Laura took to Instagram on Monday to share her IVF experience.
She explained: 'I've had a lot of messages about where we went for our IVF so I wanted to share in case it helps some of you in the same boat.
'We wasted a lot of time and money on clinics and specialists only to be told "you need to lose weight", so I really want to help if I can.'
Laura Adlington has shared her frustration at numerous fertility experts who told her she 'needed to lose weight' before she fell pregnant with her 'miracle' IVF baby (pictured with husband Matt)
The Great British Bake Off star, 36, revealed in 2022 that she had to come to terms with the fact she may never have a family after being told by doctors she would need to lose around 14 stone in order to conceive
She continued: 'After a lot of research we went to The Lister Fertility Clinic in London. As far as I know, it's the only place in the UK that doesn't have an upper BMI limit.'
BMI it is a simple calculation that uses your height and your weight to reveal you if you are too big for your height.
In adults, a Body Mass Index between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 or more is classified as obese.
While BMI has been used for years, it has its flaws. For example, it cannot distinguish between muscle and fat in weight meaning it bizarrely calculates that chiselled wrestler-come-actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is technically obese.
Laura went on: 'They look at everyone on a case by case basis. My BMI was around 45.
'I did have to jump through a couple of hoops but they were the only place that looked at me as a person and not a number on a chart.
'My overall experience with them was really good. They're very busy so it can sometimes feel like a conveyer belt but the team there is so lovely and we have felt very supported throughout.'
She added that she 'wasn't feeling great' when she posted so promised to provide more information to followers with a Q&A session at a later date.
In a bid to help her followers that may be going through a similar struggle, Laura took to Instagram on Monday to share her IVF experience
She added that she 'wasn't feeling great' when she posted so promised to provide more information to followers with a Q&A session at a later date
Laura's joyous baby news came after nine years of infertility and being told to lose 14st before she could get pregnant.
Laura shared the joyful news in an Instagram post on Sunday after 'quietly deciding to give IVF a try'.
Sharing her happy news, she wrote: 'After 9 years of infertility, we are very excited (and still a bit in shock) to be expecting our little IVF miracle in October ✨
'I know announcements like this can be really painful, especially if you’re in the thick of waiting or grieving, so please feel free to mute or unfollow if you need to and know I’m sending so much love your way.
'It’s been such a really long, and to be honest lonely road to get here – something many of you will know if you’ve followed me for a while or listened to the podcast.
'We’d honestly made peace with the idea that having children might not happen for us. But about a year and a half ago, we quietly decided to give IVF a try.
'We kept it to ourselves and decided not to share online (or even with family) just so we didn’t put more pressure on ourselves.
'We had an unsuccessful round and a cancelled round, and then found out a couple of months ago that I was finally pregnant.
'I’ll be sharing a bit more over the coming weeks about our journey to get here but for now we’re just really excited to share our news with you all. We honestly can’t believe our luck.'
In 2022, Laura detailed it was always a dream of hers to become a mother after admitting she decided against starting a family.
Speaking to Fabulous magazine, she said: 'Unless you've gone through infertility and that heartache of really wanting it and it not happening... it's the hardest thing I've ever gone through.'
The star, who appeared on the 2020 series of the Channel 4 show, told how she had always wanted to be a mother and thought, 'what's the point?' if she couldn't have a child.
She said: 'I've never thought, "I want to take my own life", but I definitely have had thoughts that I didn't want to be here any more. And I have phoned Samaritans on a few occasions and really benefitted from it.'
Laura shared her joyful baby in an Instagram post on Sunday after revealing she had 'quietly decided to give IVF a try' over a year ago
Laura shared the joyful news in an Instagram post on Sunday after 'quietly deciding to give IVF a try' over a year ago
Laura said she tried to lose weight after speaking to her doctors and even considered bariatric surgery before deciding it wasn't for her.
The star, who has struggled with her weight since she was eight, found it difficult to lose so much to have the IVF.
She said: 'It was such a lot to lose — about 14st and I just struggled to do that. I wonder if that will always play on my mind, particularly as I get older.'
Laura recently opened up about the contradicting thoughts she battles when it comes to her weight as she said 'it's important to be honest' while she admitted she was tempted by the concept of weight loss injections like Ozempic.
In a lengthy caption in a post on Instagram, Laura penned: 'My name’s Laura and I’m a walking contradiction. I accept myself and my body as it is now...
'But there’s still not a single day that goes by that I don’t think about being smaller. I believe all bodies are good bodies, but I still sometimes feel like mine is “wrong”.
'I want to live a life free from diet culture, but I also wonder if losing weight would make things easier. I don’t judge other people for changing their bodies, but I feel disappointed in myself for wanting to...
'I like how I dress for my curves, but I also wonder what it would be like to not struggle so much to buy clothes...
'I advocate for body confidence, but I still have days where I can’t stand my reflection. I tell people they don’t need to shrink to be worthy, but I sometimes wonder if my life would be easier if I took up less space...
'I know weight loss injections aren’t a magic fix, but with all the noise in the media about them and so many people on them, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted. I want to rebel against beauty standards, but I also want to feel beautiful within them...
She also admitted she was tempted by the concept of weight loss injections like Ozempic
The fashionista recently enjoyed a lavish holiday alongside Police Community Support Officer Matt as the happy couple beamed for an Instagram selfie shared on Sunday
She continued: 'Within these contradictions I sometimes feel quite lost. My relationship with my body (and food) is messy and complicated, and sharing this makes me feel quite vulnerable. But I think it’s important to be honest.'
Last year, the GBBO favourite revealed she spent a long time wanting to 'slim down' in order to have 'better sex' before she found self-confidence.
Laura said that she often found herself 'putting things off' due to her weight, thinking she would enjoy things more, like sex, adventures and holidays, if she was 'slimmer'.
But now, after finding inner-confidence Laura has admitted she will never put her life on hold again because 'life is too short'.
In a candid interview, Laura said: 'I spent a long time not doing things or putting things off, and reserving things for when I was smaller...
'I'd always say "Laura version 2.0 is going to go on more adventures, more holidays, have better sex, greater friendships", but actually, you are just putting your life on hold. If Covid taught us anything, It's that life is short.
'You don't need to have a small life just because you're in a bigger body, or if you have insecurities. Life is for living.'
