Only 8% of women delivering after the surgery went on to develop GDM, versus 27% of those opting for the procedure after childbirth, PhysOrg.com reports.
Delivery after bariatric procedures also was also associated with reduced odds (28% versus 43%) for requiring cesarean section, which itself is associated with GDM.
The apparent GDM benefit was despite many of the mothers’ failure to wait a recommended two years between their bariatric procedures and giving birth. The median time between the surgery and delivery was 19.6 months, while the mean wait time for those undergoing the procedure after childbirth was 16.5 months.
Too few candidates for bariatric surgery are being referred to surgeons, despite mounting evidence of its efficacy, says Johns Hopkins surgery professor Martin Makary, a senior author of the study.
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