A
new study has revealed that obese women who have weight loss surgery before
becoming pregnant have a lower risk of pregnancy-related health problems and
their children are less likely to be born with complications.
In the study, researchers found that women who underwent bariatric surgery and
lost weight before becoming pregnant had a significantly lower risk of
gestational diabetes and high blood pressure than obese women who did not have
surgery.
They also found that these women's babies were less likely to be born
prematurely, be born underweight or be born overweight than children born to
obese women.
For the study, the team, comprised primarily of researchers from RAND Health,
the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System and the David Geffen School of
Medicine at UCLA, reviewed results from 75 studies that examined health issues
among women who had undergone bariatric surgery and their children.
They found that their rate of gestational diabetes and high blood pressure was
nearly as low as what is seen among women who had never been obese. The impact
of mothers' bariatric surgery on health complications among their newborns was
even larger.
The researchers found evidence that fertility rates improved among women who had
undergone bariatric surgery, but the evidence was limited in scope. Other
research has shown that fertility improves among obese women who lose weight
with nonsurgical methods.
Although rare, complications from bariatric surgery can occur during pregnancy,
according to the report. The most-common complication is an internal hernia that
causes intestinal problems.
Most surgeons recommend that women delay pregnancy until a year after bariatric
surgery - the period when the most rapid weight loss occurs.
