According to a new study presented at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 2021 Virtual World Congress, pregnant women who have undergone bariatric surgery tend to have better cardiovascular adaptation to pregnancy in comparison with women who have similar early-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) but have not undergone weight loss surgery.

Deesha Patel, specialist registrar, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, United Kingdom, stated that pregnant women who have had bariatric surgery exhibit better cardiovascular adaptation via lower blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiac output. The study assessed 41 women who had a history of bariatric surgery and 41 women who had no history of such surgery. Blood pressure through the three trimesters was found to be consistently lower in the women who had undergone bariatric surgery compared to those who had not undergone surgery. Heart rate and cardiac output were also lower across the three trimesters in the bariatric surgery group. There appeared to be no difference in stroke volume between the two groups studied… (Medscape)