Effect Of Bulimia On Pregnancy – Part 1

Bulimia is an eating disorder that affects mostly women. It is becoming more and more common in western cultures. Bulimia is dangerous, causing both physical and psychological issues. But, during a pregnancy the eating disorder harms not only the health of the mother but also the health of the baby.

Bulimia does cause irregular or absent periods because of the altered nutritional patterns that affect these women but researchers don’t think that this affects the chances of a woman to get pregnant after she may recover from bulimia. But during pregnancy bulimic eating disorders can result in miscarriage, high blood pressure in the mother, stillbirth, low birth weight in the child, low Apgar scores (tests done immediately after birth to determine the health of the baby), C-sections, premature birth and post-partum depression.

The effect of bulimia on pregnancy is far reaching, well beyond the initial 9 months. Interestingly statistics show that there are approximately 15% of pregnant women who suffer from an eating disorder and approximately 80% express dissatisfaction with their bodies. Bulimia and binge eating are the more common eating disorders.

An eating disorder during pregnancy puts the baby at a higher risk of developing a number of medical disorders. The baby can suffer from lack of nutrition or stress that is caused by the eating disorder. Women who have recovered from bulimia also have a higher risk pregnancy but without the risk of lack of nutrition.

The most common effect of bulimia on pregnancy is the increased risk of low birth weight and preterm labor. The lack of nutrition that the mother receives translates to lack of nutrition for the developing baby. This places the baby at greater risk for respiratory distress and illnesses. These babies also have a 35% increased risk of coronary death and are 6 times more likely to develop diabetes later in life.

Resources:

Norwegian Institute of Public health: Pregnant Women with Bulimia Have More Anxiety and Depression

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917095356.htm

Womens Health: Bulimia Nervosa Fact Sheet

http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/bulimia-nervosa.cfm

Vanderbilt University: Eating Disorders and pregnancy

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/sanders.htm

American Pregnancy: Pregnancy and Eating Disorders

http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/eatingdisorders.html

British Journal Psychiatry: Bulimia Nervosa: The Impact of Pregnancy on Mother and Baby

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3651730

BabyCentre: Eating Disorder in Pregnancy