Re: Getting pregnant right after WLS

[Guest guest]

I can tell you that I'm very regular (26 day cycles) and I start at almost

1pm on the cycle day 1 of every period. But when I had WLS surgery, my

period was 4 weeks late. I wasn't worried that I was pregnant, because I

wasn't doing anything to get pregnant with my husband at the time. But I

was late.

Jenna

>From: RitaJKim@...

>Reply-To: OSSG-pregnantonelist

>To: OSSG-pregnantonelist, sandi@...

>Subject: Getting pregnant right after WLS

>Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 11:11:31 EST

>

>In a message dated 01/11/2000 5:14:52 PM Eastern Standard Time,

>Ministrwif@... writes:

>

><< Now I am faced with the possibility that just 4 weeks after surg there

>is

>a chance that I could be.

>

>I can't possibly imagine that this could be a healthy thing, and would like

>to hear from people who were almost immediately post op and this happened.

>Any advice or suggestions are welcomed. >>

>

>Hi there,

>

>Firstly, I would suggest going out and getting a home pregnancy test from

>the

>drugstore. If you are now 3 weeks late and pregnant, it would definitely

>show it. And, you would ease your mind.

>

>It could infact be something related to surgery. Major trauma such as a

>complicated surgery can indeed mess up your cycle, making it either longer

>or

>shorter.

>

>Now, I have copied and pasted from a post that I wrote a few months

>ago.......

>

><< As you presumed, it is not necessarily safe to get pregnant within the

>first year after a malabsorptive procedure (any kind of gastric bypass).

>You

>may very well get pregnant and have an easy pregnancy, and the baby may be

>of

>normal size, but, it is not about starvation, per se. It is a matter of

>the

>baby getting vital nutrients and minerals for their organ and brain

>function

>and development. There is a great possibility that these lack of nutrients

>and minerals will cause developmental problems down the line, and may not

>be

>detectable during sonograms, amniocentesis, or even birth. Organ and brain

>function problems may occur later on in childhood.

>

>Within the first year post op we are losing so quickly due to having our

>guts

>rearranged. But, the human body is very smart, shortly thereafter it

>learns

>to adapt. If it did not, we would continue to waste away to nothing. That

>is why the weight loss slows down or stops after the 12-24 month mark. The

>digestive system has learned how to absorb more nutrients in the part of

>the

>intestines that has been connected to the pouch, much like the duodenum

>did,

>but is now bypassed. The body is a complicated machine but is very good at

>healing itself and adapting to new situations.

>

>Therefore, in the malabsorptive procedures you should refrain from

>pregnancy

>for at least 12 months. After that time, your body is getting more

>nutrients

>and minerals through regular absorption than it was in the first few, or

>even

>six months post op.

>

>What I WAS trying to do was to stress those points to anyone one on this

>list

>that is post op and contemplating pregnancy. I also believe that surgeons

>should strongly advise anyone who previously had fertility problems to

>begin

>using birth control post op. I have come across a few women who " thought

>they

>couldn't get pregnant. "

>

>And, from what I was informed by both my surgeon and OB was that we, as

>post

>op gastric bypass-ers, are MORE at risk than the average woman to deprive a

>fetus of nutrients within the first year post op, even if we are taking in

>at

>least 2,000 calories/day. It is important that if you CAN prevent

>pregnancy

>for the first 12 months post op on a gastric bypass, that you do so. >>

>

>Now, contrary to this information, there ARE woman on this list that have

>had

>babies after getting pregnant very early post-op. At this time, these

>babies

>are very healthy and of normal weight. Some of these woman still post to

>the

>list, so, feel free to fire away.

>

>All the best to you,

>

>Rita in NYC

>www.geocities.com/heartland/cottage/9829/

______________________________________________________

Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 01/12/2000 11:31:42 AM Eastern Standard Time,

ladyhawke@... writes:

<< What rita says may true however the main word we need to cocentrate on is

" could " happen, not " will definetly " happen..............my surgeon told me

that he strongly recommends not getting pregnant for 18 months after surgery,

however, it has nothig to do with the health of the baby. it's the weight

loss process that is the only thing that will be hindered. >>

Margaret, after all the research that has been done on WLS, I must say this

is not true. There is a chance that the baby can indeed be affected by the

malabsorption. After all, if we don't take our regular vitamins, we become

deficient. And, lots of people have to have their vitamin regimens

readjusted early on in post op life. Increase the Bs, decrease it, etc. I

have to have my bloods done for vitamin levels every 3 months. The gastric

bypass can cause severe medical problems if the vitamin and supplement

regimen is not adhered to.

Have you had your baby tested for the various vitamin, mineral and protein

levels? That would be a good idea, since you were suffering from severe

malabsorption during your pregnancy.

And, we don't know what the future holds for our babies post WLS. They have

only studied it for about 20 years, and, going back in time, it used to be

only middle age people were having this procedure. So, they don't have alot

of data on women of child bearing age and the subsequent children that they

bore. But, for the researchers to say that there is a possibility of vitamin

mineral deficiency causing developmental problems with the brain and organs

down the line must come from some documented cases. I just don't think this

comes from hypothesizing.

And, if there is a surgeon out there that disagrees, they have not read the

recent information that has been published. This information comes from my

surgeon, who gets it from attending the annual bariatric convention and

reading the onslaught of published medical articles on bariatric surgery.

With the advent of the internet, the layman can get information and not have

to rely on their doctors as God. People come out here to be informed, to get

an idea of the choices that available. That way, they can make an informed

decision. I do not consider my surgeon the be-all and end-all. After all,

he encourages his patients to do their own research. So, I suggest to this

lady, as I would have to you, that you do further research to see if it

indeed is safe to continue a pregnancy such as this.

And, I preface this by saying this is my opinion, but, if I were in that

situation, I don't know if I would. I was pregnant previously and had

exposed the fetus to very dangerous drugs, that could have caused multiple

birth defects. After reviewing all the facts and information, I chose not to

continue that pregnancy. For me, I had an option that I chose to exercise.

Again, this is just me and my opinion.

I wish everyone all the best on their journey to weight loss and happy,

healthy babies.

::::stepping off my soapbox, again::::::::

Rita

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 01/12/2000 12:53:25 PM Eastern Standard Time,

ladyhawke@... writes:

100 women get pregnant (he told me this) within a year and all is fine. i

guess we have to agree to disagree because they did perform all kinds of

tests, at my request, on my baby and i am holding a perfect little boy,

knowing that i did the right thing, although not on purpose. and i would do

it again in a heartbeat! >>

Margaret, I agree with you 100% that there is only a " chance " that any of

these medical problems can happen from getting pregnant too early post op.

And, for certain I am not sure why they are saying that it is not safe to get

pregnant within the first year post op, other than these things CAN happen

and possibly HAVE happened to some people. So, the doctors are obliged to

disuade us from doing so.

And, as for your daughter, you are the first person to tell me that their

child was predicted to have a birth defect and did not. That is indeed

wonderful. Then again, I don't know all that many people who have been in

that situation. I do know women who had a positve AFP test but the

amniocentesis was negative. And, you were very right for having additional

tests done on when he was born, just to be sure that all he vitamin and

mineral levels were ok. I am wishing him a happy, healthy, long life and you

and dh the joy of parenting all over again.

Be well,

Rita

[Guest guest]

What rita says may true however the main word we need to cocentrate on is

" could " happen, not " will definetly " happen. WLS " could " cause us to dump

if we eat sugars or fats and for some of us it doesn't. i personally don't

have those problems, just as my infant has no problems. my surgeon told me

that he strongly recommends not getting pregnant for 18 months after

surgery, however, it has nothig to do with the health of the baby. it's the

weight loss process that is the only thing that will be hindered. the baby

will be just fine as long as you take your pre-natals. So, the best person

to listen to is YOUR surgeon, no one elses. not even mine! the worst thing

to do is to worry if you are pregnant! that willcause undue stress on you

and the infant. don't let people scare you. so many people told me how

uhealthy it was. well, let me tell you, this pregnancy was soooo much

healthier than my first, 10 years and 120lbs ago. i had no diabetes, no

high blood pressure and no other problems. once again, listen to your

surgeon! (sorry about the type-o's. baby on board, or should i say, " on

boob! " )

Margaret

Getting pregnant right after WLS

>From: RitaJKim@...

>

>In a message dated 01/11/2000 5:14:52 PM Eastern Standard Time,

>Ministrwif@... writes:

>

><< Now I am faced with the possibility that just 4 weeks after surg there

is

>a chance that I could be.

>

>I can't possibly imagine that this could be a healthy thing, and would like

>to hear from people who were almost immediately post op and this happened.

>Any advice or suggestions are welcomed. >>

>

>Hi there,

>

>Firstly, I would suggest going out and getting a home pregnancy test from

the

>drugstore. If you are now 3 weeks late and pregnant, it would definitely

>show it. And, you would ease your mind.

>

>It could infact be something related to surgery. Major trauma such as a

>complicated surgery can indeed mess up your cycle, making it either longer

or

>shorter.

>

>Now, I have copied and pasted from a post that I wrote a few months

ago.......

>

><< As you presumed, it is not necessarily safe to get pregnant within the

>first year after a malabsorptive procedure (any kind of gastric bypass).

You

>may very well get pregnant and have an easy pregnancy, and the baby may be

of

>normal size, but, it is not about starvation, per se. It is a matter of

the

>baby getting vital nutrients and minerals for their organ and brain

function

>and development. There is a great possibility that these lack of nutrients

>and minerals will cause developmental problems down the line, and may not

be

>detectable during sonograms, amniocentesis, or even birth. Organ and brain

>function problems may occur later on in childhood.

>

>Within the first year post op we are losing so quickly due to having our

guts

>rearranged. But, the human body is very smart, shortly thereafter it

learns

>to adapt. If it did not, we would continue to waste away to nothing. That

>is why the weight loss slows down or stops after the 12-24 month mark. The

>digestive system has learned how to absorb more nutrients in the part of

the

>intestines that has been connected to the pouch, much like the duodenum

did,

>but is now bypassed. The body is a complicated machine but is very good at

>healing itself and adapting to new situations.

>

>Therefore, in the malabsorptive procedures you should refrain from

pregnancy

>for at least 12 months. After that time, your body is getting more

nutrients

>and minerals through regular absorption than it was in the first few, or

even

>six months post op.

>

>What I WAS trying to do was to stress those points to anyone one on this

list

>that is post op and contemplating pregnancy. I also believe that surgeons

>should strongly advise anyone who previously had fertility problems to

begin

>using birth control post op. I have come across a few women who " thought

they

>couldn't get pregnant. "

>

>And, from what I was informed by both my surgeon and OB was that we, as

post

>op gastric bypass-ers, are MORE at risk than the average woman to deprive a

>fetus of nutrients within the first year post op, even if we are taking in

at

>least 2,000 calories/day. It is important that if you CAN prevent

pregnancy

>for the first 12 months post op on a gastric bypass, that you do so. >>

>

>Now, contrary to this information, there ARE woman on this list that have

had

>babies after getting pregnant very early post-op. At this time, these

babies

>are very healthy and of normal weight. Some of these woman still post to

the

>list, so, feel free to fire away.

>

>All the best to you,

>

>Rita in NYC

>www.geocities.com/heartland/cottage/9829/

>

>---------------------------

[Guest guest]

rita, i don't disagree with you, per se, just reminding all of us that, as

you said in one of the first sentences, " there is a CHANCE... " this could

happen, just as there is just as great a chance that all will be just fine.

i don't believe all i read concerning anything but, whether or not my baby

will be lacking in certain vitaminn areas later on in life or not has yet to

be seen. as you said, it will be years before they will really be able to

tell anything, so why are they so sure it's NOT safe? i will love him no

matter what. just for the record, they also told me that my daughter had

spina bifida and i should abort. i chose not to kill my own child and she

was born with a perfectly good, closed spine. so, we can't believe all we

hear, whether it be from a doctor or the internet or whomever. my dh and i

have discussions about this topic. i have to snicker at him because his

readers digest is like a bible to him...if it says it in the rd then its

true!! we have to remember that about 99.9% of anything we hear is opinion,

whether it be rita's opinion or margarets opinion or someone elses research

or opinion that either of us choose to believe. i chose to believe my

surgeon, who has been doing this surgery for 30+ years and who has had over

100 women get pregnant (he told me this) within a year and all is fine. i

guess we have to agree to disagree because they did perform all kinds of

tests, at my request, on my baby and i am holding a perfect little boy,

knowing that i did the right thing, although not on purpose. and i would do

it again in a heartbeat!

Re: Getting pregnant right after WLS

>From: RitaJKim@...

>

>In a message dated 01/12/2000 11:31:42 AM Eastern Standard Time,

>ladyhawke@... writes:

>

><< What rita says may true however the main word we need to cocentrate on

is

> " could " happen, not " will definetly " happen..............my surgeon told me

>that he strongly recommends not getting pregnant for 18 months after

surgery,

>however, it has nothig to do with the health of the baby. it's the weight

>loss process that is the only thing that will be hindered. >>

>

>Margaret, after all the research that has been done on WLS, I must say this

>is not true. There is a chance that the baby can indeed be affected by the

>malabsorption. After all, if we don't take our regular vitamins, we become

>deficient. And, lots of people have to have their vitamin regimens

>readjusted early on in post op life. Increase the Bs, decrease it, etc. I

>have to have my bloods done for vitamin levels every 3 months. The gastric

>bypass can cause severe medical problems if the vitamin and supplement

>regimen is not adhered to.

>

>Have you had your baby tested for the various vitamin, mineral and protein

>levels? That would be a good idea, since you were suffering from severe

>malabsorption during your pregnancy.

>

>And, we don't know what the future holds for our babies post WLS. They

have

>only studied it for about 20 years, and, going back in time, it used to be

>only middle age people were having this procedure. So, they don't have

alot

>of data on women of child bearing age and the subsequent children that they

>bore. But, for the researchers to say that there is a possibility of

vitamin

>mineral deficiency causing developmental problems with the brain and organs

>down the line must come from some documented cases. I just don't think

this

>comes from hypothesizing.

>

>And, if there is a surgeon out there that disagrees, they have not read the

>recent information that has been published. This information comes from my

>surgeon, who gets it from attending the annual bariatric convention and

>reading the onslaught of published medical articles on bariatric surgery.

>

>With the advent of the internet, the layman can get information and not

have

>to rely on their doctors as God. People come out here to be informed, to

get

>an idea of the choices that available. That way, they can make an informed

>decision. I do not consider my surgeon the be-all and end-all. After all,

>he encourages his patients to do their own research. So, I suggest to this

>lady, as I would have to you, that you do further research to see if it

>indeed is safe to continue a pregnancy such as this.

>

>And, I preface this by saying this is my opinion, but, if I were in that

>situation, I don't know if I would. I was pregnant previously and had

>exposed the fetus to very dangerous drugs, that could have caused multiple

>birth defects. After reviewing all the facts and information, I chose not

to

>continue that pregnancy. For me, I had an option that I chose to exercise.

>Again, this is just me and my opinion.

>

>I wish everyone all the best on their journey to weight loss and happy,

>healthy babies.

>

>::::stepping off my soapbox, again::::::::

>

>Rita

>

>---------------------------