Swedish scientists, conducting the latest research, have come to the conclusion that bariatric surgery increases the risk of preterm birth, according to an article published in the journal BMJ.
In recent years, bariatric surgery (surgical treatment of obesity) has become widespread. According to statistical data, most of those operated on are women; nevertheless, surgeons are not always informed about all the permissible long-term consequences of such interventions.
According to Swedish scientists, the presence of bariatric intervention in a pregnant woman’s anamnesis is a reason to consider this pregnancy risky and to provide the expectant mother with a particularly careful monitoring of her health condition.
Scientists from the Swedish research center Karolinska Institute compared the pregnancy data of 2,500 women who had previously undergone bariatric surgery with the pregnancy data of 12,500 women who did not undergo such surgery.
According to the authors of the study, among children born to women who had previously undergone surgery for the treatment of obesity, they were often faced with low birth weight (5.2% versus 3% in the control group).
However, a history of bariatric interventions was not associated with an increased risk of neonatal death or stillbirth.
According to scientists, during pregnancy, expectant mothers who have previously undergone bariatric surgery need to undergo fetal ultrasound more often and, in some cases, follow special diets recommended by specialists. At the same time, the researchers emphasize that the positive impact of bariatric interventions on the health of the pregnant woman and the unborn child significantly outweighs the slightly overestimated risk of developing certain complications during pregnancy.