Getting pregnant after bariatric surgery is possible, although specific nutritional care is usually necessary, such as taking vitamin supplements to ensure the supply of all the nutrients important for the baby's development and for the mother's health.
However, in most cases, it is recommended to wait at least 1 year for the woman to become pregnant, as the woman's body and the amount of circulating hormones are already more stabilized, which leaves the woman more prepared for the new changes that happen due to pregnancy.
In addition, there are also cases in which bariatric surgery is used as a way to improve a woman's fertility, because with weight loss, hormonal changes occur, in addition to improving image and self-esteem, increasing sexual desire.
How to care for pregnancy after bariatric
Post-bariatric pregnancy needs to be monitored by the obstetrician, to assess the correct development of the baby, however it is also important to carry out a strict monitoring with the nutritionist, as it is necessary to adapt the diet to the possible lack of nutrients caused by the reduction of the stomach.
Some of the nutrients most affected by surgery and which normally need to be supplemented are:
- Vitamin B12: helps prevent the appearance of neurological changes in the baby's brain; Iron: it is important to maintain adequate blood production and to strengthen the immune system against infections; Calcium: it is essential for the development of healthy bones in the baby, as well as for the development of the heart and nerves; Vitamin D: in addition to strengthening the immune system, it helps in the absorption of calcium for the development of baby's bones.
Thus, in addition to the prenatal consultations made by the obstetrician, the pregnant woman must also make regular appointments with the nutritionist to treat nutritional deficiencies, preventing or treating problems related to her lack.
In addition, in this type of pregnancy it is also more common to have abdominal pain, vomiting, heartburn and hypoglycemia and, therefore, monitoring by the nutritionist is essential to control this type of symptoms. See some precautions that help to relieve these troubles of pregnancy.
Pregnancy after bariatric surgery must be planned and monitored by the obstetrician and nutritionist so that there are no vitamin deficiencies and complications for the mother and baby. It is recommended that the woman also program herself not to get pregnant right after the surgery, being usually indicated by the gynecologist effective contraceptive methods, such as the IUD, for example.
Bariatric surgery after pregnancy
Bariatric surgery after pregnancy is usually not indicated as a way to help the mother regain pre-pregnancy weight, but it can be advised by the doctor, in very specific cases of very heavy weight gain.
Anyway, even if done by laparoscopy, which is a less invasive form of surgery, the reduction of the stomach can only happen according to medical evaluation, after the mother has completely recovered from childbirth.
Learn more about how it can be done and how much a bariatric surgery can cost
