Pregnancy post-bariatric surgery: Improved outcomes with telephonic nutritional management program

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Nutritional Science
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Background:

• Pregnancies following bariatric surgery are increasingly prevalent.
• Effective prenatal care management is crucial for this high-risk population to optimize outcomes.
• Understanding interventions that support these pregnancies is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if a telephonic nutritional management program improves perinatal outcomes and nutritional adequacy in pregnancies post-bariatric surgery.
• To assess the association between program participation and key maternal-fetal health indicators.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study (2012-2018) of pregnancies post-bariatric surgery.
• Analysis of participation in a telephonic program offering nutritional counseling, monitoring, and supplement adjustment.
• Propensity score methods used to adjust for baseline differences in Modified Poisson Regression.

Main Results:

• 1142/1575 (72.5%) pregnancies participated in the telephonic program.
• Program participants showed reduced risks of preterm birth (aRR 0.48), preeclampsia (aRR 0.43), gestational hypertension (aRR 0.62), and neonatal admissions.
• Nutritional inadequacy in late pregnancy was lower among participants (aRR 0.91).

Conclusions:

• Participation in a telephonic nutritional management program is associated with improved perinatal outcomes for pregnancies post-bariatric surgery.
• The program enhances nutritional adequacy during pregnancy.
• This intervention represents a valuable strategy for managing high-risk pregnancies post-bariatric surgery.