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Pregnancy after appendicitis

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 08.07.2025
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Appendectomy is a fairly common and most common operation in emergency surgery. However, patients do not always get to the operating table in a timely manner. About a fifth of them already have a more or less complicated version, therefore, an open operation is used, sometimes it is necessary to make a long incision or several to install drainage, that is, the operation can be very traumatic. Therefore, women who are planning a pregnancy, but instead end up in the operating room, have a completely understandable question: when can you now get pregnant and give birth on your own after the operation.

Postoperative risks

So, what do you have to take into account when planning a pregnancy after surgical treatment of appendicitis?

First, the scope of the operation should be taken into account. If appendicitis was not complicated and it was removed by laparoscopy, through small incisions-punctures, then you can get pregnant after two or three months. Even the catarrhal form of appendicitis and a light version of surgical intervention are stressful for the body. Sufficient time must pass for full recovery.

In addition, the influence of such a negative factor as anesthesia should be taken into account. General anesthesia has the strongest negative effect. Local and epidural anesthesia are considered less harmful. However, all painkillers have a strong effect on the body, otherwise we would feel pain during surgery. Two months will be enough to completely eliminate the remains of the drug.

After a clean abdominal operation, you should be guided first of all by your well-being. If the body has recovered quickly, and there are no nagging pains in the suture area, then a three-four month break will be quite enough. The belly will begin to grow intensively around the fourth month, so this time should be enough.

Currently, in case of uncomplicated appendicitis, they try to resort to the laparoscopic method of removal. Therefore, in most cases, open surgery is used in advanced and complicated cases. Then the incision is usually quite long, since the organs are washed from pus, incipient abscesses are eliminated, drainage is installed, sometimes bringing out tubes in several places and making additional small incisions for this. Pregnancy after appendicitis with peritonitis can be planned no less than six months after the operation. This is how much time is needed for the sutures to fully heal. A shorter period is not enough for their complete scarring. The growing belly will stretch the insufficiently healed tissues, there will be a risk of high tension in the suture area, its thinning and even rupture.

In addition, the treatment regimen for the inflammatory process in the peritoneum includes powerful antibacterial drugs, the effect of which continues for some time after administration. All this should be taken into account when planning a pregnancy after an operation to remove appendicitis.

Even if you really want to become a mother, and the disease has seriously disrupted your plans, you should not rush and play the hero. After all, the course of the future pregnancy and the health of the desired child depend on how you recover.

Several months can be spent on exactly those activities that are called pregnancy planning - balanced and nutritious nutrition, walks in the fresh air will help to recover better and strengthen the immune system; full rest and a positive attitude will strengthen the nervous system and increase stress resistance. It's high time to pay more attention to yourself, my beloved - the body will definitely respond to this with gratitude.

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