Question:
After Surgery is it ok to get Pregnant?

I want to have surgery however I know I want one more child.IS it medically safe to have the surgery and then get pregnant or should I Have a child before even though my BMI is 46.7?    — deadgirl (posted on October 21, 2009)

October 20, 2009
you're supposed to wait 18 months after having surgery prior to becoming pregnant (and preferably until your weight has been stable for awhile). your pregnancy might also be healthier if you are at a more "normal" weight. if i were planning a family however it would make more sense to me to have the child and THEN have surgery because i wouldn't want to gain all that weight back during pregnancy. but that is just me and i am not planning on reproducing. it's probably best to lose weight first.
   — greenpunchbuggie

October 21, 2009
Hello, I had my son before I had my surgery and I had a lot of complications that were directly linked to being over weight. I made a promise to myself and my family that I would not have another child until I lost some weight. When I was considered surgery this one of the questions that I spoke with my surgeon about- his policy is that I wait on year after RYN and at least 18 months if having the lap band. When I thought about how unhealthy I was and how much risk I put my son in, it was a no brainer- get healthy with surgery and then have another child. I think that the decision is one that is personal and one that you should make with your family, OBGYN and potential surgeon. Some women who are over weight do not have complicated pregnancies, but many do. If you have diabetes, PCOS or are on any medications- those are things that you really have to think about in addition to your weight before having a child. In respect to after surgery- my surgeon (any every surgeon is different so speak with yours) feels that my complications after surgery having RYN will be nothing compared to what I would have being over weight- all that should happen is that I will be tracked closely to make sure that my child is receiving enough nutrition. You may want to ask some of the women who have had children after WLS to see what they think. Good Luck Lorraine
   — kaylazoe

October 21, 2009
I was told it's best to wait at least 2 years if not more to have children because of malnutrition to the baby while in the womb. If you gain a normal amount of weight while pregnant after the surgery, you may not have a hard time losing it. Women who are overweight before having a baby are told it's best to not gain as much as a normal weight woman. Honestly, if you hae questions, I would schedule a consultation with a bariatric surgeon and see what they say. Good luck!
   — Nina15137

October 21, 2009
Have you discussed this issue with your surgeon and your ob/gyn docs? This is something that I think is VERY specific to each patient and something that can not be properly/accurately addressed on this type of forum. General consensus is that most surgeons say you should wait at least 18-24 months before getting pregnant.
   — rkurquhart

October 21, 2009
the other post are correct.my dr said to wait atleast 14-18 months after surgery.best wishes.
   — carolyn1970

October 22, 2009
Although everyone's advice is correct, we have a lady in our WLS support group who had the Lap-Band surgery hoping that by losing weight, she'd be able to conceive (she had been trying for quite a while with no luck). Shortly after her surgery (within a month), she became pregnant unexpectedly. Luckily, she had the Lap-Band surgery, so they simply took all of the fluid out of her band so she could get the necessary amount of nutrition for her pregnancy. She gave birth to a beautiful and healthy little girl about a month ago. I don't know what type of surgery you were thinking of having, but if it were me and I wanted to get pregnant, I'd opt for the Lap-Band. It is adjustable so fluid can be removed in case of a severe medical problem or for a pregnancy. Once the baby is born or the medical problem resolved, more fluid can be added to the band, and the weight loss can begin again. Whichever type of surgery you have, I wish you the best. God Bless.
   — KimM

October 22, 2009
Don't know what surgery you are looking at but there is a pregnancy forum on here - I know of at least 3 RNY women that have had healthy babies in my group alone. Hope that helps... if you are healthy the baby will be more healthy.
   — sheri139

October 22, 2009
Don't know what surgery you are looking at but there is a pregnancy forum on here - I know of at least 3 RNY women that have had healthy babies in my group alone. Hope that helps... if you are healthy the baby will be more healthy.
   — sheri139

November 11, 2009
Have you discussed this issue with your surgeon???? And your ob/gyn docs? This is something that I think is VERY specific to each patient and something that can not be properly/accurately addressed on this type of forum.
   — 1stReneeMarie

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