Weight is a topic most often on women’s minds in today’s society. Obesity has not only physical effects on the body, but also emotional effects. Due to this societal obsession with weight, the consumers of the United States spend billions of dollars a year on weight-loss treatments. In recent years, the weight-loss surgery Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery (RYGB) has increased in popularity, especially as it has become a less invasive and physically traumatic procedure. The obese, morbid, and super obese are finding a second chance at physical health through this medical intervention. What has not been determined, however, is whether the surgery is beneficial to women’s body image and relational satisfaction, specifically in marriage.

This quantitative descriptive study sought to discover what change, if any, occurs in married females’ body image and marital satisfaction levels postoperatively, and when these changes are observed. In a cross-sectional study, 35 married, female RYGB patients were randomly chosen for participation in this study from the New Dimensions Weight Loss Surgery (NDWLS) practice in San Antonio, Texas. The study consisted of five groups: a preoperative comparison group and four postoperative groups at selected intervals of 2 weeks–3 months, 3–6 months, 6–9 months, and 9–12 months. The participants were solicited for participation by their respective surgeon or physician assistant upon their first visits to the clinic, either preoperative or scheduled postoperative checkup visits. In addition, they were contacted by telephone contact or electronic mail by the physician assistant and the researcher. The participants were given the name of the researcher, her connection to the NDWLS, a limited description of the study, and the requirements for involvement. Upon agreement to participate, each participant was given a participation packet including a consent form, demographic questionnaire, Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (Cash, 1994), Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Spanier, 1976), and a brief description of the study.