Pregnancy after Bariatric Surgery: Balancing Risks and Benefits

Abstract The majority of bariatric surgeriesin Canada are performed in women of reproductive age. Clinicians encounter more and more often pregnancies that occur after bariatric surgeries. The appropriate management and education of women who want to conceive after bariatric surgeryis still unclear due to the lack of consistent data about maternal and neonatal outcomes following bariatric surgery. Maternal obesity during pregnancy confers a higher risk for gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, congenital malformations, prematurity and perinatal mortality. Generally, pregnancies in severely obesewomen who have undergone bariatric surgeryare safe, and the women are at significantly lower riskfor gestational diabetes, hypertensive disordersand large-for- gestational-ageneonates, but the surgeryconfers a higher risk for small-for- gestational-ageinfants and prematurity. This review aims to provide evidence from recent publications about the risks and benefits of bariatric surgeriesin the context of future pregnancies.