Hi all,

I'm 2 years post bypass and currently 13 weeks pregnant. I was told that I would be monitored closely during the pregnancy due to the bypass but wanted to know if any of you had been through this and what level of care I should expect on the NHS. I've had a letter confirming my first appointment in May but that would take me past the half way point and I just assumed I would be monitored earlier.

Would love to hear other experiences please.

Many thanks,

Claire

Note: The National Health Service (NHS) is the name of the public health services of England, Scotland and Wales, and is commonly used to refer to those of Northern Ireland.

General guidelines for bariatric surgery is to avoid pregnancy until at least 12-18 months post-op because low caloric intake cannot support a pregnancy. In your case, since you are 2 years post-op, you should be O.K. Normally it is important to gain good weight during pregnancy by avoiding junk food and concentrating on meals high in protein. One area of concern is vitamins. I had RNY gastric bypass and my body is no longer able to synthesize the vitamins that I need from food alone. Therefore I need to take vitamins for the remainder of my life. So it would be important to work with your doctors to ensure that you do not become anemic with any of these vitamin requirements. Generally in the States, pregnant women are prescribe pre-natal vitamins to minimize the possibility of becoming anemic. But after gastric bypass surgery, you body may not absorb these properly. So as a layperson, I would think that your public health service should prescribe prenatal vitamins that can be absorbed by pregnant gastric bypass patients and monitor your vitamin levels through blood testing in order to preclude any deficiencies. But I am not a doctor.

Comprehensive Metabolic Levels need to be checked regularly

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