Bariatric Surgery May Improve Outcomes of Later Pregnancy

FRIDAY, Aug. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For women with severe obesity who have bariatric surgery, there may be some beneficial effects on the perinatal outcomes of a subsequent pregnancy, according to a study published online June 30 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Darios Getahun, M.D., Ph.D., from Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena, and colleagues assessed the impact of bariatric surgery before pregnancy on perinatal outcomes. The analysis included 20,213 women who delivered at ≥20 weeks of gestation in Kaiser Permanente Southern California hospitals (2007 through 2018).

The researchers found that bariatric surgery was associated with a lower risk for adverse outcomes, including gestational diabetes (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.60), preeclampsia (aOR, 0.53), chorioamnionitis (aOR, 0.45), cesarean delivery (aOR, 0.65), large for gestational age (aOR, 0.23), macrosomia (aOR, 0.24), and neonatal intensive care unit admission (aOR, 0.70). However, there was a significant increased risk for small-for-gestational-age birth associated with bariatric surgery (aOR, 2.46). The risk for adverse outcomes remained unchanged by the interval between the surgery and subsequent pregnancy.

“Bariatric surgery may have the potential to reduce the risk of several adverse perinatal outcomes but this should be weighed against the potential increase in risk of small for gestational age birth and postpartum hemorrhage,” the authors write.

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