Every year about 150,000 gastric sleeve surgeries are performed in the U.S., making it the most often performed bariatric surgery today. This procedure is designed to help people with obesity lose a significant amount of weight and improve health conditions like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and sleep apnea.
Women who desire to have children may wonder about gastric sleeve and pregnancy and if the surgery could affect their ability to get pregnant or if it could impact the pregnancy itself or affect the development of the baby.
Today we will talk about pregnancy and gastric sleeve, whether it is safe, how long you should wait before trying to conceive, and what steps you can take to help ensure you provide your growing baby with everything it needs to be healthy.
Is Gastric Sleeve And Pregnancy Safe?
Yes, pregnancy after having gastric sleeve surgery is possible, and many women who previously were not able to successfully conceive became pregnant after having gastric sleeve surgery. Losing weight helps to balance out hormone levels, and many women find that their weight loss helps to regulate their menstrual cycles and improves their fertility. Women who have chronic conditions like PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) can see improvements in their menstrual cycle by losing at least 5% of their current weight.
Gastric sleeve and pregnancy is possible and can be done safely, as long as you use careful planning and work closely with your doctor to ensure that both you and your baby get what you need to stay healthy.
How Long Should You Wait Before Getting Pregnant After Gastric Sleeve?
You may be wondering if there is a recommended waiting period between gastric sleeve and pregnancy or what can happen if you try to conceive too soon. Most doctors advise women to wait at least a year to eighteen months before trying to become pregnant.
The reason for this is because most people lose a significant amount of weight right after undergoing the surgery, which would not be a good start for a baby, and the body also goes through major adjustments. Pregnancy itself puts many extra demands on your body, and if combined with the ones occurring after gastric sleeve surgery, it may be too overwhelming.
Pregnancy After Gastric Sleeve: Why Timing Matters
If you conceive too soon after gastric sleeve surgery, you may run into issues, including:
- Nutritional Deficiencies
- Since gastric sleeve surgery shrinks the size of your stomach, you can only eat small amounts of food at once. This helps with weight loss but makes it challenging to get enough essential nutrients to support both your health and that of a growing baby.
Your body needs time to adjust to the significant changes that have been made to your digestive system, and it is normal to experience a decrease in the levels of many nutrients like iron, folate, calcium, vitamin B12, and more that are critical to a healthy pregnancy and the growth of the baby. The more time you give your body to recover, the more balanced these nutrients will be in your body, making it easier to keep these levels up during your pregnancy.
- Feeling Physically And Emotionally Overwhelmed
- After bariatric surgery, your body will be undergoing many changes both physically and hormonally. You will also have to make several different lifestyle changes as part of your weight loss program.
Pregnancy creates its own version of these changes in your body, and going through the combination of changes created by both the surgery and the pregnancy at the same time would be significantly overwhelming. It may increase the likelihood of experiencing complications, both with your pregnancy and the health and development of your baby.
- You May Experience Pregnancy Complications
- Getting pregnant without a proper adjustment period after gastric sleeve surgery can increase the risk of complications like miscarriage, an underweight baby, early labor, and more.
Before becoming pregnant, it is critical that your body is given time to heal from gastric sleeve surgery and for your nutrient levels to become stable. Research shows that your risk for complications is significantly lower if you give yourself at least twelve to eighteen months after your surgery before planning a pregnancy.
What Can You Do To Ensure A Healthy Pregnancy After Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
If you have had gastric sleeve surgery and are thinking about getting pregnant, you must prioritize your health and your baby’s development. Nutrition is always a very important consideration during pregnancy, but it becomes even more critical for those with a smaller stomach who cannot eat as much food at one time. There are a few things you can do to help ensure you are protecting your health and that of your baby, including:
Working Closely With Your Doctors
Keeping an open line of communication with your team of doctors and a nutrition specialist can help guide you through a healthy pregnancy. They can monitor your health and the baby’s growth to ensure that both of you are getting what you need.
Proper Nutrition Should Be Top Priority
Since your stomach is smaller after gastric sleeve surgery, it is essential to ensure that both you and your baby get the important nutrients you need. Deficiencies in these key vitamins and minerals can happen easily, so it is critical that you deliberately target your diet and supplements to ensure that you consume the proper quantities.
Make Careful Food Choices
Since your stomach can only hold very small portions of food, you will need to focus on eating your foods in the right order, giving nutrient-dense foods priority. Protein should always be eaten first, which is normally recommended after weight loss surgery and even more important when you are pregnant. Seeking assistance from a nutritionist would be beneficial, as they can guide you in planning meals that deliver the necessary nutrients for both you and your baby.
Make Sure To Drink Enough Water
Staying hydrated is important for anyone’s health, but it is even more important if you are pregnant. Becoming dehydrated while pregnant can cause complications such as low amniotic fluid levels, early labor, dizziness, poor nutrient delivery to the baby, and more.
Your smaller stomach after gastric sleeve surgery makes it hard to drink a lot of water at one time, so you need some type of strategy for drinking water all day long to ensure you get enough. It may help to set an alarm on your phone that goes off every hour to remind you to take a drink.
Faithfully Take Your Prenatal Vitamins
Your doctor will recommend the best prenatal vitamins and supplements to ensure you and your baby get all the nutrients you both need. Both pregnant women and post-gastric sleeve patients require a special level of nutrition. It is important to follow the guidance of your doctors and nutritionist on the vitamins and supplements that are best for you and your circumstances and do not rely on the internet or other sources.
It is possible for women who undergo gastric sleeve to have a healthy pregnancy, but it should be planned out carefully and be monitored by your doctor and a qualified nutritionist.
Can I Get Weight Loss Help Without Permanently Altering My Stomach?
Yes, at Reveal Weight Loss we offer medical intervention options that do not involve surgery. These alternatives to surgery do not involve removing any portion of your stomach or incisions of any kind. Our non-surgical alternatives that can help you lose weight include:
- ESG or Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty
- ESG is an endoscopic procedure that decreases the size of your stomach using strategically placed stitches that are applied from the inside. Your stomach is manipulated to be smaller and tube-shaped and held in place with sutures. Your smaller stomach limits your food portions and takes longer to digest your food so you feel full and satisfied longer. Most people recover in about three days and are not put under any type of activity restrictions so they can quickly get back to their normal schedule.
- Gastric Balloons
- Gastric balloons are medical devices that are filled with saline and look like a sphere-shaped balloon. They are placed in your stomach temporarily to take up a significant amount of space so that you feel full and your portion sizes are very limited. The balloon remains in your stomach for a specified period of time, normally between 6 and 8 months, while you follow a doctor-supervised program that teaches you how to make healthy lifestyle choices that promote weight loss and maintain a healthy weight. Most programs continue for several months after the balloon has been removed to help monitor your progress and provide you with support.
- Prescription Weight Loss Medication
- Weight loss medications can help make your weight loss journey a bit easier by working to optimize your metabolism so it runs more efficiently, making your efforts count for more. They also help with some of the hardest challenges that you can encounter when trying to lose weight like your metabolism slowing down to adjust to your calorie intake or the awful food cravings that can drive you crazy. These medications can be used alone or in combination with ESG or a weight loss balloon.
Where Can I Learn More About Losing Weight Safely Before Pregnancy?
A non-surgical weight loss option may be more desirable to you if you intend to get pregnant in the future because no permanent changes are made and there are fewer risks involved. The knowledgeable experts at Reveal Weight Loss can answer your questions about creating a weight loss plan that works for your needs and circumstances.
There is no need to worry about gastric sleeve and pregnancy when there are options available that are safe, effective, and can be reversed. The team at Reveal Weight Loss will assess your current needs and circumstances and create a personalized plan that will help you lose weight as well as prepare for the future. Contact us today to set up a consultation to learn more about how we can help you improve your health through weight loss.
