Effect of bariatric surgery on pregnancy outcome

To compare the perinatal outcomes of women who delivered before with women who delivered after bariatric surgery.

A retrospective study was undertaken to compare perinatal outcomes of women who delivered before with women who delivered after bariatric surgery in a tertiary medical center between 1988 and 2006. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed to control for confounders.

During the study period, 301 deliveries preceded bariatric surgery and 507 followed surgery. A significant reduction in rates of diabetes mellitus (17.3% vs 11.0; P=0.009), hypertensive disorders (23.6% vs 11.2%; P<0.001), and fetal macrosomia (7.6% vs 3.2%; P=0.004) were noted after bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery was found to be independently associated with a reduction in diabetes mellitus (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.26-0.67; P<0.001), hypertensive disorders (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.25-0.59; P<0.001), and fetal macrosomia (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.21-0.94; P=0.033).

A decrease in maternal complications, such as diabetes mellitus and hypertensive disorders, as well as a decrease in the rate of fetal macrosomia is achieved following bariatric surgery.