Bariatric Surgery Is Associated with Lower Rates of Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy

Maternal obesity is a risk factor for gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. In this study, investigators compared risk for hypertensive disorders during pregnancy among 316 women who gave birth after undergoing bariatric surgery with 269 who gave birth before undergoing bariatric surgery. The analysis was based on 4 years of claims data from seven U.S. insurance companies for 585 continuously insured women (age range, 16–45). Gastric bypass was the most common bariatric surgery (82%).

Compared with women who delivered before bariatric surgery, significantly fewer women who delivered after bariatric surgery had preeclampsia or eclampsia (3% vs. 15%), chronic hypertension that complicated pregnancy (5% vs. 14%), gestational hypertension (3% v…