Pregnancy After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Q: I am looking into having gastric bypass and would like to know if it would still be safe to have a baby after having this procedure?

A: Gastric bypass surgery can improve your health, but it also has the potential to cause complications. To have a healthy pregnancy, make sure you are in exceptional health. If you are going to become pregnant after a gastric bypass operation, consider these areas of possible concern:

Has your weight stabilized?

It is good to keep your weight under control during pregnancy, but it is not ideal for you to lose a substantial amount of weight during pregnancy. If your weight has not become stable, you might compete with your baby for calories. This could lead to a low birth weight. Weight loss also causes your body to manufacture hormones such as cortisol that indicate stress. Stress hormones might have effects on the baby.

Do you have any signs of a vitamin deficiency?

It is harder for the body to absorb nutrients after gastric bypass surgery. This includes some important vitamins. Make sure you take a multiple vitamin and at least 0.8 mg of folate each day. Your doctor should measure your level of vitamin B12. This may need additional supplementing after your surgery. Your baby needs you to have an ample stored quantity of essential vitamins, since he or she will share your vitamin supply.

If you were on medication for diabetes or high blood pressure, are your medicines safe in pregnancy?

Diabetes and high blood pressure often occur in a person who is obese, and gastric bypass does not always eliminate these problems. If you take medicine for either of these conditions, find out whether it is safe to take them during pregnancy. Oral medicines for diabetes often need to be changed to insulin during pregnancy. Some blood pressure medicines can cause birth defects if they are used during pregnancy.

If you get pregnant after obesity surgery, don't let your pregnancy cause you to lose control of your weight. You may have made some significant improvement in your weight since your operation. When you are pregnant, don't give in to cravings for calorie-rich beverages, and don't add back foods that you have taken out of your diet in your effort to control your weight.