A Retrospective Evaluation of Pregnancy Outcomes Following Bariatric Surgery: A Single-Center Experience

Abstract

Background

Bariatric and metabolic surgery (BMS) is an effective treatment for obesity and its complications, but its effect on pregnancy outcomes is inconclusive. The present study aimed to investigate women’s pregnancy status and outcomes as well as the impact of pregnancy intervals after BMS.

Methods

The menstrual cycle and fertility status of women who underwent BMS in our centre between July 2010 and January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed and followed up until one-year post-delivery. The pregnancy outcomes after BMS were observed, including changes in weight, pregnancy interval, pregnancy complications, weight and health status of the newborn (premature birth, admission to neonatology, or deformity).

Results

We identified 31 women who were successfully conceived after BMS. There were statistical differences in weight and menstrual status before and post-operation (P < 0.05), and 77.97% of them had remission or recovery of obesity-related comorbidities. Eighteen patients delivered successfully after BMS, but there were still 12 cases of spontaneous abortion and 1 case of induced abortion. The abortion rate in pregnancy intervals less than 2 years was higher than those ≥2 years (P = 0.045). Of the women who delivered successfully, 5 had pregnancy-specific complications, including gestational diabetes mellitus and hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. However, the growth and development of the newborn are normal since the birth follow-up.

Conclusion

The present results suggest that the abortion rate in pregnancy intervals less than 2 years was higher than those ≥2 years. It is recommended that postoperative patients avoid pregnancy until their weight is stable to reduce the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Keywords:

• pregnancy
• bariatric surgery
• metabolic surgery
• obesity

Ethical Approval

The present study was performed based on the retrospective data, which was orally approved by the Scientific and Ethics Review Committees of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University. Notably, the Scientific and Ethics Review Committees had waived informed consent and approval number for the study as the nature of the present study is retrospective.

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank all the staff in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Department of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery for their help and assistance in the study.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.