Pregnancy After Bariatric Surgery: a Comparative Study of Post-Bariatric Pregnant Women Versus Non-Bariatric Obese Pregnant Women

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of bariatric surgery on the gestational outcomes.

Materials and methods: Retrospective study of pregnant women hospitalized for delivery in the maternity in Curitiba, Brazil, who had a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m² and/or who had undergone bariatric surgery. Interviews were performed, and the patients' medical records and antenatal information cards were evaluated.

Results: Ninety-three pregnant women who had bariatric surgery and 205 obese pregnant women were selected. A lower occurrence of hypertensive diseases was observed in pregnant women who had undergone bariatric surgery (14%) compared with obese pregnant women (56.6%). Moreover, a reduced occurrence of diabetes was found in post-bariatric pregnant women (16.1%) compared with obese pregnant women (30.2%). There were no differences in the frequency of prematurity, in delivery methods, or in postpartum complications. There was a higher number of cases of babies who were small for gestational age and a lower number of babies who were large for gestational age in the post-bariatric group. When comparing obese pregnant women to post-bariatric pregnant women who had remained obese, a reduced frequency of hypertensive diseases and diabetes was found in the latter group, but the weight difference between their newborns was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: There was a lower occurrence of health-related issues complicating pregnancy among women who had undergone bariatric surgery, but these women's newborns were more likely to be small for gestational age, a finding which was less significant the less weight the mother had lost.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Obesity; Pregnancy.