| Gastric band 'may need releasing during pregnancy' | Posted on 11/12/2009 in Medical Government/ NHS related news Women who have a gastric band fitted to help them lose weight may need to have their band loosened if they fall pregnant, an expert has suggested.
Dr Neena Garg, a trainee in obstetrics and gynaecology from Dewsbury District Hospital, tended to a patient with a gastric band who experienced severe morning sickness and significant weight loss at 17 weeks gestation.
After finding her to be severely malnourished, surgeons released her gastric band and subsequently removed it completely after seeing signs of improvement.
Dr Garg, who presented her case study at a meeting of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said that women who have undergone obesity surgery "may require release of the band when they become pregnant to avoid pregnancy complications".
The medic pointed out that women need to eat healthily while pregnant to ensure their unborn child receives the necessary nutrients.
"A gastric band may prevent these essential nutrients from reaching the mother and baby and has been shown to induce the unpleasant side-effect of nausea," she revealed.
In light of her findings, Dr Garg concluded that pregnant women should inform their doctors if they have a gastric band so they can undergo further assessment.
Another form of obesity surgery is a gastric bypass, in which a section of the intestine is bypassed in order to reduce the amount of calories absorbed from food.Other news stories from 11/12/2009
Read more in the Zenopa News Archive
How this news is generated
|  |
|
