Obesity may cause Infertility. Bariatric Surgery may solve both.

Each time you see a baby, does your heart ache instead of rejoicing? The internal turmoil of the one who is unable to conceive is deeply personal and painful.

But we are fortunate to live in the modern era when medical science can assist couples facing infertility issues to conceive and experience the joy of raising a child.

There are a number of causes for the problem of Infertility. One among them is Obesity.  World Health Organisation defines Obesity as having a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 30 or more.

Obesity and Infertility are directly and closely related.

Obese women are three times more likely to suffer infertility than women with a normal body mass index as documented in a research study published in 1994 in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

In order to tackle the problem of Infertility, it is necessary to first tackle the problem of Obesity.

An obese woman is more likely to experience irregular menstrual cycles.

Obesity has also been found to be associated with PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome which involves the presence of cysts on the ovaries.

Even in cases of assisted reproduction methods like IVF, IUI etc., the prognosis is poorer in case of obese patients and pregnancy rates are only about half for women with a BMI of more than 35.

Moreover, obese women need to take higher doses of gonadotropins injections for stimulating follicle growth during the process.

Further, those with obesity face an increased risk of miscarriage, complications during labour, foetal loss and still birth.

Obesity is also associated with a substantial increase in medical complications during pregnancy like hyper tension, gestational diabetes and eclampsia.Eclampsia  is a rare but serious condition that causes seizures during pregnancy risking the health of both mother and baby.

Male infertility too is linked with Obesity. Obese men are more likely to have a lower sperm count, sperm of lower quality and lower levels of testosterone. ­

While a lifestyle and diet change are absolutely imperative for weight loss, Bariatric Surgery has been found to be the most effective long term solution for dealing with Obesity.

Bariatric surgery involves reducing the size of the patient’s stomach with the help of a gastric band also known as a lap-band. Alternatively, a part of the stomach can be removed with a procedure called Sleeve Gastrectomy. A third option is to create a new digestion path bypassing the stomach with help from a procedure called Gastric bypass.

Your Surgeon will suggest which of these options is best suited for you.

All these procedures cause safe reduction of food intake and long term weight loss.

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The procedures are performed through laparoscopy i.e. through the key-hole method. This involves a few miniature incisions or a single incision. As a result, compared to an open surgery, there will be no pain from incisions, shorter stay in hospital, less chances of infection and much quicker recovery. Also there will be no major scars of surgery.

The impact of Bariatric surgery becomes apparent within the first few weeks of surgery with patient losing considerable weight.

Studies show that with every unit BMI drop, your chances of conception dramatically increase.

Bariatric Surgery involves risk just like any other surgery. It is important to understand that as with any other surgery, the surgeon’s skill and expertise reduce the risk involved.

The success of a surgery and the patient’s experience depends mostly on the vast experience and skill of the surgeon along with his team. It is therefore necessary that one approaches a top Bariatric Centre with vast experience in performing laparoscopic surgery.

In summary, Bariatric Surgery could be the One Solution to your Many Problems.

Cheers

Bariatric Surgery Can Resolve Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most discussed topics today due to havoc it creates including reduced lifespans of its patients.

Times of India reported last year that an estimated 3.4 million  deaths  are caused due to high blood sugar according to a World Health Organization (WHO) fact sheet on diabetes.

There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. 90-95% diabetes patients suffer from Type 2.

Although Type 2 diabetes can develop due to many causes such as age, stress, genes, family history etc., one of the the main reasons is body weight. An obese person is much more likely to have diabetes.

Its alarming that about 90% of obese are found to be Type 2 diabetes patients.

This is because if you are over-weight or obese, you need to exert more effort on your body’s ability to use insulin to control blood sugar levels. This effort needed by your body keeps on going up and full scale diabetes forms. This is when you will start needing lifelong medications and injections to control blood sugar levels.

Diabetes is a catalyst causing about 60 different types of deadly complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, foot amputation etc. to name a few.

Hence it is so critical to attack Diabetes for leading a healthy and long life.

The good news is that Type 2 Diabetes can be now reversed in most patients.

Weight loss and a change in lifestyle can dramatically reduce or completely cure one’s Diabetes.

While there is no substitute to exercise and an active lifestyle, some additional assistance may be needed if your past weight-loss efforts have not yielded long term success.

Bariatric Surgery, which is also called Metabolic Surgery, is scientifically proven by host of studies and evidence that its the most reliable solution for creating long term weight loss and there by keep diabetes out of your life.

Studies show that 85% of diabetes patients who underwent bariatric surgery showed complete reversal of diabetes and ten years after Bariatric surgery, only 7% of these patients had recurrence.

We have treated about 4000 patients so far and results at our center, which is reputed as one of the top Bariatric Centers of Mumbai and India, is excellent in terms of weight-loss as well as diabetes resolution.

In fact we are one of the only two centers in India routinely performing a type of bariatric surgery that helps non-obese patients in solving their diabetes problem. Ileal Transposition is the name of this particular bariatric surgery.

Your surgeon will assess which type of bariatric surgery is best suited to your condition and one of the many options such as sleeve gastrectomy, mini gastric bypass (MGB), roux en y gastric bypass (RYGB) or Ileal Transposition is shortlisted.

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The success of a bariatric surgery depends mostly on the experience, skill and expertise of the surgeon. Hence please be sure to approach a top bariatric centre that has necessary accreditations and vast experience.

For more details, call us today for a consultation appointment and we will be happy to assist you in taking an informed decision.

Dr Abhay Agrawal honored on Expert Panel for Bariatric Surgery

Dr Abhay had the privilege of being on the expert panel for Bariatric Surgery in a recent symposium at Mumbai on Risk Reduction Strategies and Planning in  inimally invasive surgeries.

The emphasis of the panel discussions was to make Laparoscopic and Bariatric surgeries safer in the hands of younger or inexperienced surgeons to reduce complications for their patients.

The number of times a hospital or surgeon performs certain procedures annually has an inverse relationship with in-hospital mortality rates for patients undergoing the procedures. This means that lower the numbers, the higher are the risk of complications.

This is why high volume Centers of Excellence take active part in training less experienced centers and surgeons through fellowships, symposiums and workshops.

It was also a great honor for Dr Abhay to receive a plaque at this symposium from Dr P. K. Chowbey- the doyen of Minimal Access Surgery in India.

Dr Abhay receiving the plaque from Dr P.K. Chowbey