Some Pregnancy-Related Complications Minimized for Women Who Have Had Weight-Lo...(ients. More than 50000 wome...),Health

More than 50,000 women a year ages 18 to 45 undergo bariatric surgery procedures that include gastric bypass surgery, vertical-banded gastroplasty, and other inpatient weight-reduction procedures.

Others have outpatient laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedures.

Dr. Maggard said, "Although no randomized controlled trials were found that specifically assessed pregnancy outcomes following surgery, the existing body of evidence revealed that, in general, some maternal and neonatal complications appear lower in pregnancies following bariatric surgery as compared to pregnancies in obese women." Dr. Maggard added that their rates even approach those seen in pregnancies in non-obese women.

The evidence report also found that:

• Nutritional problems during pregnancy following two types of bariatric surgeries, gastric bypass and laparoscopic gastric band procedures, appear to be uncommon and may result from not following instructions for taking supplements. Nutritional problems appear to be more frequent and severe in mothers who undergo another bariatric surgical procedure, biliopancreaticdiversion surgery.
• There is not enough evidence to determine if having bariatric surgery affects the likelihood of needing a cesarean section to give birth.
• There is some evidence to guide a woman's decision as to how long she should wait after having bariatric surgery to become pregnant. The typical recommended time period is 1 year, which usually coincides with the period of most rapid weight loss.
• The effects of bariatric surgery on a woman's fertility have not been well studied. Studies including a small number of patients report possible improvement in the ability to conceive and deliver a child following bariatric surgery. These results, along with reports of normalization of sex hormones and menstrual
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