Pregnancy planning after weight loss surgery
September 25, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Women's Health
It’s well known that obesity can cause many health problems. Obesity, particularly so-called morbid obesity, can cause serious complications in fertility and pregnancy.
Gastric bypass surgery is becoming increasingly available and an option for many who feel that there is no other way to lose weight. Since some of those who seek this surgery may be women in their child bearing years, it’s not far fetched to think that these women may want to become pregnant at some time. But, how does gastric bypass surgery affect pregnancy, if it does?
Late last year, Debbie Miller, RN, wrote an article on the topic, Pregnancy Planning in the Weight Loss Surgery Patient. In it, she writes about the after surgery period: "The nutritional status of the woman may be compromised during the weight loss stage. This is not a healthy state to support a pregnancy and risks include malnutrition of the mother, preterm delivery, and miscarriage. For this reason it is recommended that a woman wait until her weight and health have stabilized before conceiving a child." If you’re interested in learning more, I suggest you read her article.
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Tags: pregnancy blog, obesity and pregnancy, pregnancy after gastric bypass
