Let’s Talk About Eating Disorders During Pregnancy
When I was working with adults in a nationally-known eating disorder treatment facility, I began to see people who were parents cycling in and out of treatment.
Over time, I began to see how pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood contributed to the development, maintenance, or relapse of an eating disorder.
I saw how people would go through great extents to control their body during pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood, including:
Restricting calories, including during pregnancy and/or postpartum
Excessive movement, including during pregnancy and/or postpartum
Using breastfeeding/pumping as a means of burning calories
Sharing their food with their children with the intent to eat less, themselves
According to the American Pregnancy Association, eating disorders affect about 7 MILLION American Women each year, and tend to peak during childbearing years.
There is now a term used for disordered eating during pregnancy in order to control weight gain: Pregorexia.
Signs and symptoms include:
Excessive or compulsive exercise
Unwillingness to change their exercise routine
Restricting food intake
Obsessive calorie counting
Self-induced vomiting
Laxative use
Feeling shame or guilt about weight gain
Weighing themselves several times a day or doing other things to measure the size of their body
Fear or intense distress about gaining weight
Avoid going to doctor’s appointments
Feel disconnected from the baby growing inside them
Avoid social situations with friends or family
But what are the risks of pregorexia?
Before I dive into the risks, I want to take a moment to settle into having some compassion and curiosity around disordered eating during pregnancy.
Eating disorders already have a bad reputation, where people often get labeled as vain, selfish, or self-centered for having one.
Then, when you add pregnancy to the mix, pregnant people experience even more judgment and shaming from others - specifically being criticized for ‘choosing’ their eating disorder over the health of their baby.
Potential health risks to birth parent or baby include:
Bone loss for the pregnant person
Premature labor
Growth restrictions for the baby
Fetal developmental problems
Low birth weight in baby due to lack of nutrients
Fatigue beyond what is normal in pregnancy
Electrolyte abnormalities
Dehydration
Dizziness
Increased risk of prolonged labor
Increased risk of miscarriage
Increased risk of developing a perinatal (i.e., during pregnancy and/or postpartum) mood or anxiety disorder
And how does it develop? There are a lot of factors that can lead to pregorexia, including:
Previous history of an eating disorder
Society pressures telling people they need to be thin
Untreated mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD
Genetics - According to the National Institutes of Health, twin studies have shown that eating disorder symptoms appear to be roughly 46-72% heritable. If you have a family member with an eating disorder, you are at a higher risk of developing one.
If any of this information resonates with you or someone you love, please check out the National Alliance for Eating Disorders website for more information and resources.
If you are interested in learning more about my upcoming course - Finding Peace With Food & Body (During Pregnancy, Postpartum, & Beyond) - click HERE!
