ABSTRACT
Obesity is an epidemic affecting both developed and developing countries and is defined as prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2. 1 Excessive weight gain and obesity as a chronic disease are considered to be two of the most pressing concerns in the developed world due to their growing threat to health in countries all over the world. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased dramatically with alarming rates over the recent decades and has nearly doubled since 1980. 2 – 4 In 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults 20 years and older were overweight. Of these, nearly 300 million women were obese. 4 In the United States, nearly 35% of adults were obese and over one-third of women 20 years and older were obese in 2011–2012. 5 Excessive weight gain and obesity is the fifth leading risk for global deaths, and according to the latest WHO fact sheet, at least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Obesity and excessive weight gain may also contribute substantially to the burden of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, ischemic heart disease, stroke, respiratory problems, certain cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon), and osteoarthritis. 4 , 6 In concordance to this worldwide increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity, close to one-third of women of childbearing age (20–39 years) are classified as obese, and an additional quarter of women in this age group are overweight. 3 , 7 , 8 Those disturbing findings can eventually lead to adverse consequences for their future reproductive health, pregnancy, and long-term health. 9 Significant reduction in obesity-related reproductive complications may be achieved by weight loss. Surgical treatment has a great potential to treat obesity in women of reproductive age, as Sjostrom reported bariatric surgery to be the most efficient means of weight loss in severely obese patients. 10
