Question:
Is is easier to get approved for surgery if you have PCOS?

   — Crystal R. (posted on May 13, 2002)

May 12, 2002
Pcos can be a comorbitiy, a co morb being a condition that you have that can be helped with weight loss. Depending on the insurance the more co morbs the better your chances of being approved.
   — Becky K.

May 12, 2002
hi i have pcos too what fun ha? anyway i told my surgeon and im pretty sure it was listed as one of my co morbids i think this could only help and ill tell ya when i was able to drop some weight in the past it seemed to help with some of the symtoms im hoping this surgery will help i have a very informative pcos web site i visit maybe you have but if not you should visit www.soulcysters.com best of luck to you :)
   — carrie M.

May 13, 2002
Hi, I also have PCOS and Aetna insurence. We are waiting for insurence approval right now. I have been told that Aetna is fairly easy to work with. I have talked to them afew times and they advised me to look up their coverage policy. It has all the criteria listed on the sight. Two of the major things are a BMI over 40, and at least 6 months of doctor assisted dieting that has failed. The address for this sight is www.aetna.com/cpb/data/PrtCPBA0157.html.It is number 0157 on their bulletins. Or you can call the paient managment dept at 1-800-323-1681. This is the office that they approve this type of thing at. Good Luck !
   — Teressa D.

May 14, 2002
I have PCOS and Aetna HMO and I was approved in a week. They seem to be one of the best insurance co. to deal with for this type of surgery
   — SAMANTHA B.

May 14, 2002
If not PCOS, then what PCOS causes- such as Hypertension, predisposition to Heart Disease, Risk of Endometrial Cancer, Type II Diabetes, Arthritis (from weight), Depression etc. etc. In my opinion it really depends on what you are suffering with by having your PCOS. Your surgeon may not write "PCOS" and wham, you get approved, but if they write, "patient is morbidly obese, and it is medically nescessary for her to have this surgery due to the following conditions: etc etc and not to mention she suffers from PCOS", which helps cause these issues... Then you should get approved. The fact that you may be 100lbs overweight could be the sole reason you get approved. I was overweight (morbidly obese), had high blood pressure and was considered a walking time bomb for Type II Diabetes, yes- I had PCOS, but my surgeon reccomended me for surgery for my symptoms of Morbid Obesity, not my condition of PCOS- even though they are technically the same. The surgery helped the condition- but it won't cure it; and you'll always have it- so I am not sure how the medical community looks at it from that standpoint.....
   — Karen R.