Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding & Dr. George Fielding Study LAGB and Pregnancy

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAGB) is an effective and safe surgical method for weight loss. Despite this, very little information is known regarding patients who become pregnant after surgery. Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding and Dr. George Fielding, along with other NYU Langone doctors examined this to better understand if, and how, the surgery affects pregnancies occurring after placement of the band. The results are encouraging.

Study Overview

The study relied on data and surveys of 133 women who underwent LAGB surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center between 2001 and 2008 and became pregnant after the surgery.

The researching doctors asked:

• How would weight changes during pregnancy post LAGB be effected?
• What would the pregnancies and births look like compared to those in women who had not had the procedure?
• Would babies born from mothers with a gastric band be less healthy than babies born to mothers without LAGB?

Demographics

133 women were part of the study conducted by Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding, Dr. George Fielding and their colleagues. 112 babies were born of which there were six sets of twins^[1].

Weight Changes

Before becoming pregnant the average Body Mass Index (BMI) of the women was 32.7. The average weight gain during pregnancy was 11.5 kg. Women with a lower pre-pregnancy BMI gained more and those with a higher pre-pregnancy BMI. These figures are in the safe range for weight gain during a pregnancy. Women who had their band loosened during the first trimester gained more weight.

Pregnancy and Birth

89% of the singleton pregnancies were carried to term (at least 37 weeks) with 45% of those resulting in cesarean sections. This is consistent with pregnancies in women who have not had LAGB and encouraging to bariatric surgeons like Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding and Dr. George Fielding.

Neonatal Health

Babies born from post-LAGB pregnancies were just as healthy as the general population. Their average birthweight was 3,268.6 gram birthweight. This birthweight is within the normal range. Eight percent of the babies were low birthweight and seven percent were high birth rate, which is lower than average.

The Apgar score takes into consideration skin color (Appearance), pulse rate (Pulse), reflex irritability grimace (Grimace), activity (Activity) and respiratory effort (Respiration) of newborns. Each of these is assigned a number from 0-2. The ideal Apgar score is a 7 or above. Average Apgar scores of the babies born to women who became pregnant after LAGB, at 1 and 5 minutes, 8.89 and 9.17, which are excellent scores.

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding is a safe and effective way for obese patients to lose weight and does not have a negative effect on becoming pregnant, maintaining a healthy pregnancy and birth, and the health of babies.

If you are interesting in learning about your weight loss options, including weight loss surgery, talk to your doctor and contact the NYU Langone Weight Management Program.

^[1] Non twin pregnancies are referred to as “singleton”