Pregnancy outcomes after gastric-bypass surgery

Background: The purpose of this study is to compare outcomes of patients who become pregnant within the first year after surgery and those who delayed pregnancy until after 1 year after surgery. Methods: A retrospective review was performed to identify patients who became pregnant after their gastric-bypass surgery from 2001 to 2004. Endpoints included pregnancy complications, fetal birth weight and outcome, delivery method, weight change during pregnancy, and nutrition. Results: Of 2,423 patients who had undergone bariatric surgery from 2001 to 2004, 21 patients became pregnant within the first year after surgery and 13 became pregnant after 1 year. Similar outcomes were seen between the 2 groups regarding fetal weight, term pregnancy, and complications. Conclusions: Pregnancy outcomes within the first year after weight-toss surgery revealed no significant episodes of malnutrition, adverse fetal outcomes, or pregnancy complications. Anxiety over poor outcomes of pregnancy during the first year after bariatric surgery can be allayed. (c) 2006 Excerpta Medica Inc. All rights reserved.