Surgery in Pregnancy

You might think the only time you’d need to go under the knife during pregnancy would be during a C-section. But what happens when you need non-obstetric surgery while you’re pregnant?

- Tina Otte

Any surgery performed during pregnancy is usually done in emergency cases only, where the risk of delaying the surgery outweighs the risk of not doing the surgery. In other words, you wouldn’t have a nose job while pregnant, but should your appendix burst or you develop painful kidney stones, then the benefits of having the surgery could outweigh the risks of delaying it.

There are two patients in these cases: the unborn baby and the mother. And each face risks of their own. The decision to have surgery would be a team discussion and involve your obstetrician, the paediatrician, the surgery specialist and of course the pregnant couple.