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Contraception, Menstruation, and Sexuality after Bariatric Surgery: a Prospective Cohort Study

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A Correction to this article was published on 14 December 2017

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Abstract

Background

Women with a history of bariatric surgery are recommended to avoid pregnancy at least 12 months after surgery. Evidence on the impact of bariatric surgery on contraception, menstrual cycle, and sexuality in the first year postoperative is therefore indispensable.

Objectives

The objective of this paper is to prospectively study changes in contraception, menstrual cycle and sexuality in women of reproductive age following bariatric surgery.

Setting

The study was conducted in two secondary medical centers and a tertiary academic medical center.

Methods

Women attending for bariatric surgery or who recently underwent bariatric surgery completed online questionnaires about contraception, menstrual cycle, and sexual behavior before surgery and 6 and 12 months after surgery.

Results

The study included data from 71 women, including 70 and 47 women at 6 and 12 months after bariatric surgery, respectively. Preoperatively, 43.6% (n = 31/71) used a short-acting hormonal contraceptive, the usage of which decreased significantly to, respectively, 32.8% (n = 23/70; p = .031) and 27.7% (n = 13/47; p = .022) 6 and 12 months post-surgery. Usage of long-acting contraceptive methods increased from 26.7% (n = 19/71) preoperatively to 38.6% (n = 27/70; p = .021) and 42.6% (n = 20/47; p = .004) at 6 and 12 months. Combined oral contraceptives (COC) remained used (39.4% preoperatively, 27.1 and 14.9% at 6 and 12 months postoperatively). Menstrual cycle (frequency, pattern, duration of the cycle, and the menstruation itself) and sexual behavior (intimate relationship, frequency of intercourse, and satisfaction) did not differ significantly before and after surgery.

Conclusions

Women undergoing bariatric surgery appear to switch their type of contraceptive from oral, short-acting hormonal contraceptives to non-oral, long-acting contraceptives. No changes in menstrual cycle and sexual behavior were shown.

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Change history

  • 14 December 2017

    The spelling of author name Jill Shawe was incorrect in the original article. It is correct here.

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Contribution to Authorship

Author 1 performed the analysis on the results of the study and drafted the manuscript. Author 2, Author 5, and Author 12 have made substantial contributions to the design of the study and have been involved in drafting the manuscript. Author 3 advised in analyses of results and drafting of the manuscript. Author 4, Author 6, Author 7, Author 8, Author 9, Author 10, and Author 11 have been involved in revising it critically for important intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final version.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Master of Family Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Julie Luyssen

  2. Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Goele Jans, Annick Bogaerts, Johan Verhaeghe & Roland Devlieger

  3. Faculty of Health and Social Work, Research Unit Healthy Living, UC Leuven-Limburg, Leuven, Belgium

    Goele Jans & Annick Bogaerts

  4. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    Annick Bogaerts

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Dries Ceulemans, Johan Verhaeghe, Lore Lannoo & Roland Devlieger

  6. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Christophe Matthys, Bart Van der Schueren & Matthias Lannoo

  7. Department of Endocrinology, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Christophe Matthys & Bart Van der Schueren

  8. Department of Abdominal Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Matthias Lannoo

  9. Department of Abdominal Surgery, St-Niklaas Hospital, Moerlandstraat 1, 9100, St-Niklaas, Belgium

    Luc Lemmens

  10. Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK

    Jill Shawe

  11. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproduction, St-Augustinus Hospital Wilrijk, Oosterveldlaan 24, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium

    Roland Devlieger

Authors
  1. Julie Luyssen
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  2. Goele Jans
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  3. Annick Bogaerts
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  4. Dries Ceulemans
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  5. Christophe Matthys
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  6. Bart Van der Schueren
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  7. Matthias Lannoo
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  8. Johan Verhaeghe
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  9. Luc Lemmens
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  10. Lore Lannoo
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  11. Jill Shawe
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  12. Roland Devlieger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roland Devlieger.

Ethics declarations

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by the central Ethical Committee of the University Hospitals of Leuven and all local Ethical Committees.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

The original version of this article was revised to correct the spelling of author Jill Shawe.

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Luyssen, J., Jans, G., Bogaerts, A. et al. Contraception, Menstruation, and Sexuality after Bariatric Surgery: a Prospective Cohort Study. OBES SURG 28, 1385–1393 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-017-3033-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-017-3033-7

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