These women should also know that gastric sleeve surgery alters the pregnancies that they are likely to have in future. It is advisable to avoid conception for 1 year to 1 and half years after the procedure because the patient has to lose some weight before the operation and also to stabilize.
A significant number of patients gain less than 5:mg/day during the first year after GS and rapid weight loss is known to impair fetal development due to nutrient deficiency. Thus, the postpartum period provides a chance to avoid future pregnancies until both the mother’s and the child’s weight is stable and their nutrition is optimal for pregnancy.
After achieving a stable weight and if a woman is finally ready for conceiving, she needs to be under the care of bariatric surgeons who specialize in managing pregnancies. This team may consist of an obstetrician, a bariatric surgeon, and a nutritionist that would be able to keep track of the mother’s health, alter the supplements if necessary, and provide the fetus with its nutritional requirements.