The insurance worker had suffered three miscarriages, in 1995, 1998 and 2000, and tried dieting unsuccessfully before going under the knife in 2005 as a last resort when she reached 23st. A photograph taken of Joanne Slater in Goa in 2003 before her gastric by-pass operation Joanne had the operation to control a hormone imbalance which doctors thought caused her to gain weight Mrs Slater pictured in 2003 had the gastric by-pass to lose weight so she would be able to give birth Photograph of Joanne Slater and her husband Michael taken on their wedding day in Edinburgh in 2006 Joanne Slater photographed in India in 2008 after she had a gastric-bypass operation Loving mother: Joanne Slater with daughter Lily-Mai pictured in St Ives in 2010 Mr Slater said: 'I just wish that she had managed to lose that weight some other way - I wish it more than anything in the world. 'But unfortunately that wasn't the case. She tried absolutely everything - diets, exercise - everything. When Joanne had Lily-Mai we expected it would be the start of a long and happy family life together. 'I don't want to pin any blame on the operation because they did their best and we did manage to conceive as a direct result of the operation. 'But my daughter doesn't have a mummy because of the operation that gave her life. I have mixed emotions about the operation. I just wish she could have found another way to lose the weight. For anybody considering this surgery, my advice would be not to take the decision lightly. Michael Slater holding a photo of his wife Joanne who had gastric-bypass surgery so she could give birth A gastric-bypass is when the digestive system is re-routed past most of the stomach so you digest less food and it takes much less food to make you feel full. People with a gastric-bypass will lose around two-thirds of their excess body weight. Procedures help the patient feel satisfied on smaller quantities of food and helps reducing hunger in between meals. Some operations affect hormonal changes, which cause changes in women's appetite. Surgery can now be offered to anyone with a BMI over 40, where lifestyle and medication have been ineffective. It also significantly reduces the health risks of women who have severe and complicated obesity. Women are advised not to become pregnant within 18 months of having had weight-loss surgery. It is also true that, despite the advice to avoid pregnancy within a year of surgery, many women do become pregnant and go on to have a successful pregnancy. But during this time, nutritional deficiencies can occur. However, it is usual for all patients to be prescribed multivitamin and mineral supplements, and sometimes at higher doses. After weight-loss surgery most of the weight loss takes place in the first 12-18 months. It is best to avoid pregnancy in this period, as the effects of weight loss on the baby are still not fully understood. For women who had surgery more than two years previously, weight is likely to have stabilised. Women who are obese are less likely to conceive naturally and when receiving treatment for infertility require higher doses of gonadotrophins and more days of ovarian stimulation to achieve the desired pregnancy rates. Obesity also impacts negatively on pregnancy and is associated with increased risk of gestational diabetes, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, the need for induced labour and caesarean delivery.