PETITIONRejectedPetition · petition.parliament.uk
Abolish the body mass index (BMI) scale in being a criteria to determine health.
The government should review and eliminate outdated BMI criteria for NHS fertility treatment, replacing it with a more inclusive, evidence-based approach. This ensures fair access, accounting for individual health and diversity, rather than relying on a measure designed for White males in the 1830s.
Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk
Signatures
16
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 16/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 16/100,000
Background
Access to NHS-funded fertility treatment requires meeting BMI criteria, with a max of 30 in Wales (35 for private clinics). Developed in the 1830s using only White males, BMI ignores sex, ethnicity, health conditions like PCOS, and body composition, unfairly impacting women. The UK must adopt fairer, evidence-based criteria, especially when a condition can impact a person’s ability to reach this unjustifiable target. BMI does not determine the overall health of the person needing the treatment.