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The classic among gastric balloons

Weight Doctors® GASTRIC BALLOON 6 months

The classic gastric balloon stays in the stomach for half a year and is placed under sedation (twilight sleep), without surgery. It can help you find the right amount for normal meal portions.

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How your therapy is structured

Two building blocks.
One plan.

The Weight Doctors® MEMBERSHIP is the foundation of every therapy: medical oversight, progress monitoring and aftercare. The treatment you choose together with your specialist builds on it.

Building block 1

Weight Doctors® MEMBERSHIP

The foundation for every Weight Doctors® therapy – with the tools that support your treatment and record your progress for your medical consultations.

  • Weight Doctors® AppKeep an eye on weight, activity and sleep, for iOS and Android
  • Digital body scalesBluetooth scales – the readings flow straight into the app
  • 3D BodyscanMeasure body composition objectively, up to twice a year
  • Priority access to specialistsby phone, video or on site, without a long wait
  • 360 coaches and Weight Doctors® MiraNutrition and behaviour in everyday life, aftercare with your coaches
  • E-prescription servicePrescriptions issued digitally – after medical approval
More on the Membership
Building block 2

Weight Doctors® GASTRIC BALLOON 6 months

The classic gastric balloon stays in the stomach for half a year and is placed under sedation (twilight sleep), without surgery. It can help you find the right amount for normal meal portions.

Procedure
Endoscopic, temporary
Duration
6 months
Price
from £4,250
Costs

The Membership does not replace a medical decision: whether treatment makes sense, and which one, is decided by your specialist after a medical assessment.

Personally here for youDr. med. Robert Jenner · Visceral surgery

Your guide

The gastric balloon for 6 months at a glance

How the classic among gastric balloons works, how the half year unfolds and who it suits.

How the gastric balloon for 6 months works

On the way to a healthier lifestyle, often all that is missing is a reliable companion. The gastric balloon for 6 months is the classic among gastric balloons: briefly placed, worn for half a year, then removed again.

The balloon is placed in the stomach through the oesophagus. There it floats and takes up approx. 35% of the stomach volume. This reduces the capacity of your stomach: you can feel full faster and eat less, and cravings can decrease – without surgery and the risks of an operation. In principle, it is a temporary stomach reduction.

Together with a programme tailored individually to you, you learn over these six months how a balanced lifestyle works. Initial principles can become habits that you keep up after the treatment as well.

Transparent stomach model with a gastric balloon
Gastric balloon for six months made of soft silicone with filling catheter
The balloon for six months, made of soft silicone, with filling catheter: it is only filled in the stomach.

Why a gastric balloon for 6 months?

  • Half a year of supportFor six months, the balloon can help you find the right amount for normal portions and develop a new, positive awareness of your body.
  • Removable at any timeThe treatment is time-limited, and the balloon can be taken out again at any time if needed.
  • Short, outpatient, without surgeryInsertion takes approx. 15–20 minutes and is carried out under sedation (twilight sleep) as an outpatient – without an incision and without scars.
  • No long-term medicationOnce you have got used to it, you need no medication besides the balloon that could have additional side effects.

Who is the balloon for 6 months suitable for?

The classic is an option for excess weight and early-stage obesity. The BMI calculator shows you where you stand.

Weight Doctors® adviser at a desk, with a gastric balloon in front of her
  • Adults over 18 with excess weight or early-stage obesity
  • Recommended for a BMI of 26 to 35
  • If you have not made progress so far with conservative methods of weight loss – in the experience of Dr. med. Oliver Scheffel, the balloon is then particularly suitable
  • If you are motivated to complete medically supervised therapy for weight loss
  • Depending on weight and BMI, another balloon may also suit you – if your BMI is above this, you have a larger goal or you would like to take more time, the gastric balloon for 12 months is often the better choice; the Allurion gastric balloon manages entirely without general anaesthesia. We clarify this in the consultation; you can find all balloons compared under Weight Doctors® GASTRIC BALLOON.
  1. BMI from 26Balloon for 6 months recommended
  2. BMI from 35rather the balloon for 12 months
BMI scale according to the WHOCalculate your BMI

Your half year with the balloon

From the first conversation to removal – this is how the six months typically unfold. How the balloon gets into the stomach is shown in the explainer film below; you can find more films in our media library.

Doctor holding the endoscope ready for the gastroscopy
  1. beforehandConsultationWe check whether the balloon suits your BMI and your goal.
  2. Day 1PlacementApprox. 15–20 minutes under sedation (twilight sleep), as an outpatient and without an incision.
  3. Day 3–4Back to everyday lifeGetting used to it is usually quickly over.
  4. Months 1–6ProgrammeChanging your diet, building up exercise – with coaches and the app.
  5. Month 6RemovalEndoscopically via the mouth and oesophagus.

How safe is the balloon for 6 months?

Compared with obesity surgery procedures, the therapy has manageable side effects. In the first days, nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting are possible. Follow your specialist’s recommendations then and drink plenty; any prescribed medication can ease the symptoms. The balloons we use bear the European CE mark.

Doctor explaining the endoscopy room of the Weight Doctors® Nationalklinik to visitors
  • GermanyNetherlandsDr. MörmelSpecialist in internal medicine
  • GermanyProf. UyakSpecialist in internal medicine and emergency medicine
  • GermanyNetherlandsDr. ScheffelSpecialist in general and bariatric surgery
  • GermanyDr. JohnSpecialist in internal medicine & gastroenterology

All specialists

How you can benefit from the treatment

The effect begins with insertion. The weight-loss goal is up to 20 kg; how much it will be for you varies from person to person – your specialist will discuss with you what is realistic for you. First successes can provide additional motivation. Our team’s programme and, on request, personal nutrition coaching help with this.

The progress shown below was measured with the Weight Doctors® 3D Bodyscan or photographed before and after treatment.

3D avatar from the Weight Doctors® 3D Bodyscan with evaluation of body values

Results vary from person to person. The images show Weight Doctors® patients who have consented to their publication.

All success stories

What does the gastric balloon for 6 months cost?

Weight Doctors® GASTRIC BALLOON is available from £4,250, the Weight Doctors® App is included; we set the exact price in the consultation. If you do not wish to pay the amount in one go, you can pay in instalments.

Weight Doctors® lounge with green sofas and the lettering on the wall

All prices

Paying in instalments: how it works

If you would like to spread the costs over a longer period, payment in instalments via our partner Ideal4Finance is possible. You decide the instalment amount and term yourself; Ideal4Finance reviews your application promptly. You submit the application together with us during your consultation, by phone or entirely paperless online – more under Pay in instalments.

The requirement is sufficient creditworthiness. In detail:

  • Main residence in Germany
  • no negative Schufa entries
  • employed or retired, with disposable income
  • Students, trainees and homemakers can enter a second person from the same household as the borrower – a parent, child, spouse or partner

Apply for instalmentsMore on instalments

Weight Doctors® on film

On film

When the video is played, data is transferred to YouTube (Google). More on this in the privacy policy.

How the gastric balloon works

When the video is played, data is transferred to YouTube (Google). More on this in the privacy policy.

How the gastric balloon makes losing weight easier for you
Instagram · 6 months

Up close

Insights from the clinic, team and treatment – short and real, just like on our Instagram channel.

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Your specialists

In specialist hands.

39 doctors in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and South Africa – at the Weight Doctors® Nationalklinik in Wertheim and at your location.

  • GermanyDr. JohnSpecialist in internal medicine & gastroenterology
  • GermanyNetherlandsDr. MörmelSpecialist in internal medicine
  • GermanyProf. UyakSpecialist in internal medicine and emergency medicine
  • GermanyDr. SudholtSpecialist in internal medicine
  • GermanyE. BeckerSpecialist in internal medicine
  • GermanyDr. ZimmerSpecialist in internal medicine / gastroenterology
  • GermanyM. Al RashdanSpecialist in internal medicine & gastroenterology
  • GermanyM. Al HamedSpecialist in internal medicine & gastroenterology
  • NetherlandsDr. StraathofSpecialist in gastroenterology & hepatology
  • United KingdomDr. BansiSpecialist in gastroenterology
  • South AfricaDr. NaiduSpecialist in internal medicine
  • GermanyNetherlandsDr. ScheffelSpecialist in general and bariatric surgery
  • GermanyAustriaProf. MillerSpecialist in general and visceral surgery
  • GermanyPD Dr. WichmannSpecialist in visceral surgery & expert in endobariatrics

All specialists

Frequently asked questions

Questions about Weight Doctors® GASTRIC BALLOON 6 months

Your question isn’t listed? Your specialist will take time for it during the consultation.

What benefits of the gastric balloon can I profit from?

You feel full faster, eat less and so increase your chance of losing weight successfully – without surgery and without diet pills. In addition comes a programme tailored to you and a team that accompanies you along the way.

Who is the gastric balloon for 6 months suitable for?

Adults over 18 with excess weight or early-stage obesity, recommended for a BMI of 26 to 35, who are motivated to take part in medically supervised therapy. Depending on weight and BMI, other balloons or wearing periods also suit – we advise you personally.

How long does insertion take?

About 15–20 minutes. The balloon is brought into the stomach as an outpatient under sedation (twilight sleep) via the mouth and oesophagus and filled there.

Can you feel the gastric balloon, and are there side effects?

In the first days, your stomach has to get used to the balloon: nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting are possible. Follow your specialist’s recommendations then and drink plenty; any prescribed medication can ease the symptoms. This phase is generally over quickly – after that, the balloon can provide a long-lasting feeling of fullness.

Will I be in pain during insertion?

The pain is very slight: you doze during the short procedure, and there is no cutting. You are generally socially presentable again after 3–4 days.

How much space does the balloon take up in the stomach?

Filled, it holds about 500–600 ml and takes up around 35% of the stomach volume. It floats freely in the stomach; the fill volume stays the same throughout the six months.

How much weight can I lose with the balloon for 6 months?

The weight-loss goal is up to 20 kg. How much it will be for you depends mainly on how consistently you change your diet and exercise. Results vary from person to person.

Do I have to take medication?

Only if you need it in the first days, for example against nausea. Once you have got used to it, the treatment manages without medication.

Can the balloon also be removed earlier?

Yes. The treatment is time-limited, and the balloon can be taken out again at any time if needed – likewise endoscopically via the mouth.

How is the balloon removed again?

At the end of the six months, it is removed endoscopically via the mouth and oesophagus.

What does the gastric balloon for 6 months cost?

Weight Doctors® GASTRIC BALLOON is available from £4,250; the treatment is a self-pay service, and the Weight Doctors® App is included. Payment in instalments via Ideal4Finance is possible. All prices under Costs & prices.

How do I keep my weight after the six months?

With the habits you have built up during this time. The app and your coach accompany you afterwards as well; on request, our nutrition coaching continues to support you.

Why Weight Doctors®

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  • 39specialists
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  • 5treatments from gentle to surgical
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Other treatments

All paths.
From gentle to surgical.

Every method has its place. Here you can see at a glance how major the procedure is, how long it takes and what starting price you can expect.

Wide range of services
no procedure
Surgery
No procedure

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Medication-based, no procedure

Medically supervised pharmacotherapy with regular progress monitoring – with no procedure at all.

Duration3–12 months
Pricefrom €599
No procedure

Weight Doctors® 360°

Nutrition coaching

Nutrition coaching and support in everyday life – in person, by video and in the app.

Durationper session
Pricefrom £49
You are hereNo surgery

Weight Doctors® GASTRIC BALLOON

Temporary, also swallowable

A temporary companion for 6 or 12 months – also swallowable, with no endoscopy at all.

Duration6 or 12 months
Pricefrom £4,250
No surgery

Weight Doctors SLEEVE®

Endoscopic, permanent

Permanent stomach reduction without conventional surgery – endoscopic, outpatient, without scars.

Duration30–60 min
Pricefrom £10,500
With surgery

Weight Doctors BARIATRICS®

Surgical, minimally invasive

Gastric bypass or gastric sleeve surgery for higher BMIs, incl. preliminary examination and aftercare.

Duration1–3 nights
Pricefrom £16,900

All treatments

Locations

Consultation at many locations

Whether the balloon for 6 months suits you, we clarify in a personal conversation – on site, by video or by phone. Enter your postcode or choose your city:

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Consultation

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The first step is a conversation: choose your treatment, location and appointment online here – consultation on site, by video or by phone.

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