Bariatric Surgery and Female Reproductive Health

In a Study of Patients Following Bariatric Surgery, Several Female Reproductive Issues Were Resolved or Restored*

You may want to consider bariatric surgery's resolution rates for these conditions and the long-term effects of reproductive health.

In a study of 28 patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome who had gastric bypass surgery, the following results were reported.

	Gastric Bypass % of Patients	Gastric Banding % of Patients
Menstrual Dysfunction Due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Resolved	100%^19,20	No data available
Excess Hair Due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Resolved	79%^19,20	No data available
Ovulation and Fertility Restored	Yes¹⁹ 5 of 5 patients (100%)	No data available

*In medical terminology, “resolved” is defined as removing all known symptoms and signs of the condition or disease. “Restored” is defined as showing evidence of the return of normal bodily functions where little or none were present prior to surgery.

Studies have shown that infants born to women living with morbid obesity are more likely to suffer significant neurologic and heart birth defects than infants born to women of healthy weights.³⁰

-	Double the risk for spina bifida and anencephaly
-	Increased risk for heart defects
-	63% increased risk for omphalocele, a condition in which the intestines protrude from the belly button

You may want to consider bariatric surgery's effect on these conditions and the long-term effects on reproductive health:

-Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: -Excess Body Hair; -Irregular menstruation; -Infertility
-Birth Defects: -Spina bifida; -Abdominal wall abnormalities; -Heart defects