Pregnancy and Weight Loss Surgery

Summary

The dramatic increase in the incidence of obesity has resulted in an overwhelming increase in the number of bariatric, or weight loss, operations performed in the United States. These operations induce long-term weight loss through a combination of volume restriction and malabsorption. As a result, bariatric surgery patients may suffer from nutritional deficiencies over the long term and need to be followed extremely closely before, during, and after pregnancy. Bariatric patients are given regimens of nutritional supplementation that are specific for their operation. This chapter describes the different types of bariatric surgery and the nutritional disturbances associated with each one. Additionally, the standard recommendations for supplementation and follow up are reviewed. Alterations to these regimens during pregnancy are discussed. Pregnancy outcomes after bariatric surgery are reviewed.