Invited Commentary: Preconception maternal gastric bypass surgery and the impact on fetal growth parameters

The epidemic of obesity affects patients of all ages and the downstream metabolic derangements are well known to affect fertility [ 1 Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive M. Obesity and reproduction: a committee opinion. Fertil Steril. 2015; 104: 1116-1126 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (163) Google Scholar ]. Indeed, it has been long accepted that even a modest weight loss of 10% significantly improves ovulation and fecundity [ 2 Legro R.S. et al. Randomized Controlled Trial of Preconception Interventions in Infertile Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015; 100: 4048-4058 Crossref PubMed Scopus (133) Google Scholar ]. To that end, women of reproductive age are increasingly seeking methods for effective and efficient weight loss to optimize fertility and pregnancy. For the appropriate candidate, bariatric surgery presents a viable option not only to improve overall health but improve fertility and pregnancy outcomes as well. While current literature highlights improved obstetric outcomes after surgery, more research is needed to characterize fetal outcomes. Preconception maternal gastric bypass surgery and the impact on fetal growth parametersSurgery for Obesity and Related DiseasesPreviewBariatric surgery is increasingly performed in women of reproductive age. As bariatric surgery will result in postoperative rapid catabolic weight loss which potentially leads to fetal malnutrition and directly related impaired intra-uterine growth, it is advised to postpone pregnancy for at least 12–18 months after surgery. Full-Text PDF Open Access