Medical guidelines

The general medical guidelines for weight-loss surgery are based on body mass index (BMI). BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. Weight-loss surgery might be an option for an adult with a BMI of 40 or higher.

The surgery may also be an option for an adult who meets these three conditions:

• BMI of 35 or higher
• At least one obesity-related medical condition
• At least six months of supervised weight-loss attempts

In some cases, weight-loss surgery may be an option for adolescents. The guidelines include:

• BMI of 40 or higher and any obesity-related medical condition
• BMI of 35 or higher and a severe obesity-related medical condition

Instead of using these BMI numbers as a guideline for surgery, a surgeon may use growth charts for adolescents. These charts show the standard BMI range for each age. The surgeon may recommend the procedure based on how much the adolescent's BMI is above the standard BMI range.

Depending on the type or severity of an obesity-related illness, some adults or adolescents with lower BMIs may be able to undergo weight-loss surgery.