Women who have undergone bariatric (weight loss) surgery should wait 12-18 months before trying to have a baby, a new study suggests.

Bariatric surgery is a procedure carried out on people who are dangerously obese. An example of this is the insertion of a gastric band, which reduces the size of the stomach.

According to three UK consultant obstetrician and gynaecologists, currently, there is an ‘exponential increase in the number of morbidly obese women of childbearing age undergoing this surgery as the ultimate treatment for their obesity'.

It is already known that obesity during pregnancy can increase the risk of serious conditions such as pre-eclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure). Previous research has found that women who undergo weight loss surgery before getting pregnant have a much lower risk of developing serious pregnancy-related problems.

And according to this study, pregnancy after weight loss surgery is safer than pregnancy while morbidly obese.

However, after reviewing the evidence, the consultants concluded that women who undergo this surgery should be ‘strongly advised' to wait 12-18 months before trying to become pregnant.

Getting pregnant too soon after could lead to a surgery-related complication, such as movement of the gastric band, which could lead to severe vomiting, the doctors said.

They also noted that some research suggests that getting pregnant too soon after surgery can increase the risk of a miscarriage.

They noted that GPs and obstetricians are often ‘not fully informed about the management of pregnant individuals' who have undergone bariatric surgery. Furthermore there are no nutritional guidelines to advise these women about what they should be eating during pregnancy.

The consultants concluded that multidisciplinary care before, during and after pregnancy following weight loss surgery ‘helps to prevent nutrition-related and surgical complications'.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist.