Weight Loss Surgery & Pregnancy

Weight loss surgery has become more and more popular in the last number of years, as people are finding it increasingly difficult to control their weight. Most obese people who undergo weight loss surgery have been on diets for years, and have tried on their own to control their weight. If you are contemplating having weight loss surgery done, however, and you would like to conceive in the future, it is very important to understand the influence that weight loss surgery could have on your chances of conception.

More on Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery involves having a surgeon reroute food past your stomach and into a small pouch that can only accommodate very small portions. Another way that the surgery is done is to have the surgeon make your stomach much smaller, ensuring that it can only hold a small amount of food. Most patients can only eat about 500 calories a day after the surgery.

Obesity and Ovulation

Most women who have this surgery already have irregular periods. Obesity keeps the body from functioning in a normal capacity, and many overweight women do not ovulate as they should. After the surgery, women should begin to ovulate more regularly as they lose the weight. At the same time, a surgery of this sort is a major undertaking and it does take a large toll on the body. It takes the body quite awhile to adjust to the drastically reduced calorie count and nutrients. Patients are, therefore, encouraged to wait a full 18 months after the surgery before trying to conceive.

Birth Control and Bypass

In order to make sure that you don't get pregnant right away, it is important to know that people sometimes have trouble with birth control after bypass surgery. The body may not be capable of absorbing enough of the pill to make it effective. Diaphragms also have to be adjusted as the woman loses weight. For the first 18 months after pregnancy, women are advised to use multiple types of birth control so that they don't become pregnant.

Complications with Early Pregnancies

For women who do become pregnant quickly after bypass surgery, there can be a number of complications. Complications may include bleeding in the woman's stomach, anemia, and limited room for the baby's growth. Doctors do not believe that there are too many risks, however, and they have been very happy with the positive results that the bypass surgery creates in pregnant women. These surgeries have many health benefits for pregnant women including avoiding gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, large sized babies and Cesarean births.

Pregnancy and Bypass

When you do become pregnant after bypass surgery, your doctor needs to be fully aware that you've had the surgery. At times, pregnant women who've had bypass surgery will have difficulty with the glucose tolerance test and with prenatal vitamins. Doctors know how to work around these complications - but they need the facts in order to make the proper adjustments.

Weight loss surgery is not for everyone. It can greatly help people, however, who are at least 100 pounds overweight and who have complications as a result of their weight. It is not a quick-fix way to become pregnant. However, it certainly makes amazing changes for overweight people and it may help you to have an easier time conceiving and carrying a baby to term.

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