The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) - the certifying board for Ob/Gyns - released a paper on pregnancy and obesity. The paper has several different parts to it; some address the problems that obesity causes in pregnancy and one part addresses the specific concerns of pregnancy in patients who have had weight loss surgery. The part about bariatric surgery patients mainly discusses gastric bypass as this is associated with so many vitamin and nutrient deficiencies, but some is applicable to the Lap Band as well.


The risks of pregnancy in overweight women is astounding: "...everything we do in obstetrics is made more difficult and more complex by obesity-from using external monitors to performing surgery." According to ACOG, some studies show that obesity is an independent risk factor for miscarriage among women who undergo fertility treatment. Data also links obesity to miscarriage in women who conceived naturally. Obesity has been linked to an increased risk of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. And the higher the body mass index (BMI) a woman has, the higher the chance she will need a cesarean.


The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also reports that studies have shown that obese women have more complications when undergoing cesarean section when compared with women of normal body weight. Some of these complications include excessive blood loss, and increased wound infections. Their report also speaks about elevated risks to the babies of obese women which include stillbirth, prematurity, macrosomia (large for gestational age), neural tube defects, and higher rates of childhood obesity.