Re: How should women be advised on weight management in pregnancy?
Alatishe and colleagues (10 September 2012) make a valuable contribution to this important topic of fertility and bariatric surgery. Their data supports the conclusions of recent systematic reviews [1,2]:
1. 5-15% of women of childbearing age who undergo bariatric surgery will get pregnant in the postoperative follow-up period [1].
2. Obstetric complications in these women are less common than in matched obese female controls [1,2].
What we do need to know is how many of their large cohort reported reduced fecundity preoperatively, particularly when over 70% of postoperative pregnancies are reported as unplanned. This will help to quantify the effect of bariatric surgery on female fertility (current evidence for which is lacking in volume and statistical power) and may well highlight areas for improvement in their local family planning services.
References
1. Scholtz S, Le Roux C, Balen AH. The role of bariatric surgery in the management of female infertility. Hum Fertil (Camb), 2010;12(2): 67-71.
2. Dalfra, MG, Busetto, L, Chilelli, NC, Lapolla, A. Pregnancy and foetal outcome after bariatric surgery: a review of recent studies. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2012; 25(9): 1537.
Rapid Response:
Re: How should women be advised on weight management in pregnancy?
Alatishe and colleagues (10 September 2012) make a valuable contribution to this important topic of fertility and bariatric surgery. Their data supports the conclusions of recent systematic reviews [1,2]:
1. 5-15% of women of childbearing age who undergo bariatric surgery will get pregnant in the postoperative follow-up period [1].
2. Obstetric complications in these women are less common than in matched obese female controls [1,2].
What we do need to know is how many of their large cohort reported reduced fecundity preoperatively, particularly when over 70% of postoperative pregnancies are reported as unplanned. This will help to quantify the effect of bariatric surgery on female fertility (current evidence for which is lacking in volume and statistical power) and may well highlight areas for improvement in their local family planning services.
References
1. Scholtz S, Le Roux C, Balen AH. The role of bariatric surgery in the management of female infertility. Hum Fertil (Camb), 2010;12(2): 67-71.
2. Dalfra, MG, Busetto, L, Chilelli, NC, Lapolla, A. Pregnancy and foetal outcome after bariatric surgery: a review of recent studies. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2012; 25(9): 1537.
Competing interests: No competing interests