Female bariatric surgery patients are reaping more than just the physical health-related benefits of weight loss. According to a new study, women who've had gastric bypass or Lap-Band surgery not only reported better sexual functioning, blood tests showed they had an improvement in reproductive hormone levels.


For the study, which was published in JAMA Surgery, researchers examined 106 women who had undergone bariatric surgery, tracking their progress since 2005. The women—who'd lost an average of about 65% of their original body weight within the first two years following surgery—were asked to fill out surveys about their sex lives and their blood was taken to test hormone levels.

Two years after the surgery, women said they had improvements in their overall sexual functioning, and improvements in arousal, lubrication, desires and satisfaction. They also said they had better quality of life in most categories, better body image and fewer depressive symptoms just one year out of surgery, with the positive changes persisting through the second year.


So while the women's sexual satisfaction could be attributed in part to a confidence boost from having a better body image, there's also an internal change, as blood tests showed they "experienced significant improvements from year 1 to year 2 in total testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels."

Bariatric surgery patients may see benefits to their sex lives [CBS News]