Are you thinking about starting a family? Worried about your weight and fertility? Then look no further than here.
Excusing the ‘salesperson’ like questions, there has been a rather significant development in the empirical research surrounding bariatric surgery. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) has recently discovered that weight loss surgery improves female fertility and reduces pregnancy complications.
The paper that was published by the RCOG recognizes that obesity does indeed affect over a 25% of the female population and naturally being overweight or obese does impact on “natural conception, miscarriage, pregnancy and long-term health of women and their children, due to an increased risk of congenital anomalies, pregnancy complications and illnesses associated with obesity”.
So what are the options available? The paper by the RCOG suggests that the only way to combat obesity and lead to long-term weight reduction is either through significant lifestyle changes or bariatric surgery; the former not always be an option and surgery being the only viable option.
However, what else was interesting that came from the research paper is that there was evidence that bariatric surgery improves signs and symptoms “associated with polycystic ovary syndrome, which influences fertility, including anovulation (the ovary failing to release eggs), hormonal changes and libido”. In essence, bariatric surgery was found to be not only a way of improving fertility but also as an effective way to combat difficulties in carrying, reducing the risk of miscarriages, macrosomia (large baby) and other abnormalities.
Naturally, the RCOG does recommend that pregnant women who choose bariatric surgery should receive specialist care throughout the pregnancy.
In summary, the research paper by the RCOG has found evidence that bariatric surgery is an effective way to improve fertility in females and reduce the complications in relation to the carrying of the unborn baby.