American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS)
The leading professional organization for metabolic and bariatric surgery, offering patient-facing resources on surgical weight-loss options.
Updated Sep 26, 2026
The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) is the largest professional organization in the United States for surgeons and allied health professionals who perform and support metabolic and bariatric surgery. Alongside its clinical guidelines and surgeon credentialing work, it maintains a patient-facing section covering the main surgical procedures (sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, and others), who qualifies, what recovery involves, and how to find an accredited program.
Why it's relevant if you're on, or considering, a GLP-1
Bariatric surgery and GLP-1 medications are more and more often discussed together. Both treat obesity as a chronic disease (see what it means that obesity is a chronic disease), and some people take a GLP-1 before or after surgery. ASMBS has co-issued multisociety guidance on using GLP-1 medications safely around the time of surgery, and research presented at its 2026 annual meeting looked at people who took a GLP-1 before having surgery. If your prescriber has raised surgery as an option, or you want a non-commercial explanation of what the procedures involve, ASMBS's patient resources are a reliable place to start. Like any professional society, its materials reflect the surgical perspective, so pair them with your own care team's advice.
Both sides of the topic, so you can weigh the evidence yourself.
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Oral semaglutide — Semaglutide taken as a once-daily pill instead of a weekly injection: Rybelsus and its reformulation, Ozempic tablets, for type 2 diabetes, and the Wegovy pill for weight management.
Related guides
Gastric emptying on a GLP-1: how much slower, how long it lasts, and what it means for gastroparesis — GLP-1 medications slow the stomach, but the trials show the effect is smaller and fades more than most people assume, especially with the long-acting weekly drugs. This guide covers how much slower, whether it lasts, how gastric emptying is measured, how it differs from gastroparesis, and why the "food ferments in your stomach" claim has no evidence behind it.
Restarting a GLP-1 after a missed stretch: what each drug's label says about re-titration — Missed a few weeks of Wegovy, Zepbound, Ozempic, Trulicity, Saxenda, or a GLP-1 pill? Only four labels spell out when to restart at a lower dose: Wegovy injection after 2 missed weekly doses, Saxenda and Victoza after more than 3 days, and Foundayo after 7 missed daily doses. The rest are silent on long gaps. This by-drug reference separates what each label says from what's left to your prescriber, and explains why going straight back to your old dose is risky.
Comparing the GLP-1 pills: Ozempic tablets (Rybelsus), the Wegovy pill, and Foundayo — There are now three GLP-1 pills in the US, and they aren't interchangeable: oral semaglutide for diabetes (Rybelsus, now sold as Ozempic tablets), oral semaglutide for weight (the Wegovy pill), and orforglipron (Foundayo). Here's how they compare on approval, how you take them, what the trials found, side effects, cost, and what you give up versus a weekly injection.