Fertility, miscarriage and pregnancy after vertical banded gastroplasty operation for morbid obesity

Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) is today the most widely performed bariatric operation. The procedures used previously for the same purpose resulted in metabolic derangements and other pathologies during pregnancy. In a retrospective study we compared the reproductive performance of nine women prior to VBG and after it. Of eighteen pregnancies prior to the operation, seven ended with miscarriage, while only one of fourteen pregnancies conceived after the operation was aborted. The rate of spontaneous conception was greatly increased after the operation and there were fewer complications in the course of the pregnancies. From the obstetrician and gynecologist's point of view VBG seems to be a good treatment for morbid obesity.