pcos a co-morb?

Can PCOS be considered a co-morb when applying to insurance co?

Probably not... There are women with PCOS who are normal weight and PCOS, with its insulin resistance angle, is more of a contributing factor to being a bit heavy. People (to my knowledge) don't develop PCOS because they get heavy for other reasons. So--again, as far as I know, which may not be very far--I don't think so. Your doc would know for sure, though.

My doctor listed it as a co morbidity - but I also have insulin resistance, so that "helped" - I haven't been approved yet, but have a lawyer who thinks I soon will! Good luck to you....

Unfortunately, not now, but I am participating in a research study linking the effects of gastric bypass on those with PCOS and my docs hopes are one day to be able to list as a comorbidity for insurance purposes. good luck! ~Lori

I don't think so but Infertility can. The doctors that are for WLS will use anything to help you get approved. The doctors that are against Wls usually go by the book and often discourage the patient. Best wishes!

I've been talking about this with my dad, an LVN, for some time, as well as my family practicioner. I think that having PCOS for obese women is a catch-22. Let me explain. One, because PCOS is aggravated by excess weight, especially around the abdomen, it would greatly benefit a woman with PCOS to lose weight. But because PCOS greatly affects the cells in our bodies, and makes them resist using insulin properly (for effective weight loss), it's very difficult (and nearly impossible for women not on medication) to lose enough weight to treat the PCOS. See what I mean? I definitely think that we SHOULD be able to list PCOS as a co-morbidity when applying for approval for WLS to the insurance company. Whether we CAN or not is a different story. As I'm just in the research phases of WLS, I have no experience with applying for approval. But I'm sure that your surgeon has at least one experienced, caring insurance worker in his/her office. Let us know what you find out!

Yes, it can. I just applied for approval for RNY and my insurance has a lot of crazy requirements, like 10% weight loss before you can apply and classes and tests and evaluations, but you also have one of these 3 to be approved: a BMI over 50 gets you automatically in and you're not required to have any co-morbs, or a BMI of 40 to 49.9 with either one Category 1 co-morbs or two Category 2 co-morbs, and PCOS is listed as a Category 2 co-morbidity, which is great for me because I only had one other Category 2 besides PCOS, so now I have 2. Doesn't matter anyway, since my official weigh-in put me at a BMI over 50 so I don't even need any co-morbs to get approved. Anyway, my point that yes, at least in the CA Bay Area (I don't know about elsewhere), PCOS is a verified co-morbidity.

Yes it can that was one of the things that got me approved go for it and remember there are many things PCOS brings on not just the infertilaty Kristal 59 days to go

Symptoms of PCOS can include excessive weight gain and obesity, irregular, heavy or completely absent periods, ovarian cysts, excessive facial or body hair, Alopecia (male pattern hair loss), acne, skin tags (growths from the skin), Acanthosis Nigricans (brown skin patches) high cholesterol levels, exhaustion or lack of mental alertness, decreased sex drive and excess male hormones.