Weight Surgery & Pregnancy

It is recommended for all women of reproductive age to be especially aware of potential complications related to pregnancy during the first 12 – 18 months following weight loss surgery.

Many women consider themselves infertile and may have been unsuccessful in attempting to get pregnant in the past. For many of these women, underlying obesity is a major contributing factor to infertility. Women with severe obesity have about 3 times higher rates of menstrual disturbance. Obesity is associated with increased risks during pregnancy (high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, urinary infection, Cesarean section, and toxaemia), and more complications during and after delivery.

In the obese state, fatty tissue holds onto normal hormones longer, and the body also produces an oestrogen like a hormone that can inhibit ovulation. It is common for the obese female to have scant, irregular or no menstrual cycle at all. About 1/3 of all infertility cases prescribe weight loss as the only treatment needed to get pregnant. With as little as a 15-20-pound weight loss, the odds of pregnancy are improved, and the miscarriage rate may be reduced by 2/3.

After surgery, you may resume sexual activity when you feel physically and emotionally able, but sexually active women of childbearing age need to use birth control. Please discuss forms of birth control with your gynaecologist as some oral contraceptives may not be fully absorbed or have altered potency in patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery.

We recommend you wait at least 12-18 months after weight loss surgery, and until your weight loss has plateaued before planning a pregnancy. It is unsafe to conceive during the rapid weight loss phase post-surgery as this may harm you and your baby due to potential nutritional deficits. There are increased risks of birth defects, fetal demise, and other pregnancy-related risks if you become pregnant before your body has metabolically stabilised.