Eating disorder that was diagnosed before pregnancy and pregnancy outcome☆
Section snippets
Population and methods
The study was a historic prospective follow-up study. Data were obtained from the Danish Database for Psychiatric Epidemiological Research,14 which links two national health registers: the Danish Medical Birth Register and the Danish Psychiatric Central Register, which covers the whole Danish population.
The Danish Psychiatric Central Register includes nationwide information that has been given by psychiatrists concerning all admissions to psychiatric departments since 1969.14 The Danish Medical
Results
The mean birth weight from 1973 to 1993 was 137 g lower (95% CI, 77-198 g) in children of women who were hospitalized with an eating disorder before pregnancy than in children of women without the disorder. From 1978 to 1993, the difference in mean birth weight was 134 g (70-199 g). Adjusted for gestational age from 1978 to 1993, this difference was 101 g (46-157 g, Table III).
The risk of low birth weight was twice as high in children of women who were hospitalized with an eating disorder
Comment
Previous studies and case reports have indicated that women with an eating disorder are at increased risk of being delivered of a low-birth-weight child,8., 9., 10., 11., 12., 13. but to our knowledge ours is the largest prospective study on this association to have an unexposed comparison group. The study's strength is its size, the prospective design, and the possibility to adjust for a number of potential confounders.
In a study of 50 women who had been diagnosed with an eating disorder
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Pregnancy outcomes in women with anorexia nervosa: a population-based study and analysis of a matched cohort
2023, Reproductive BioMedicine OnlineHow prepartum appearance-related attitudes influence body image and weight-control behaviors of pregnant Japanese women across pregnancy: Latent growth curve modeling analyses
2023, Body ImageCitation Excerpt :Moreover, women with disordered eating behaviors during pregnancy tend to experience various antenatal problems (Linna et al., 2014). In particular, when pregnant women have an undetected eating disorder, the health of the women and their fetus can be severely affected (Franko et al., 2001; Sollid et al., 2004; Stewart, 1992); for instance, they can experience miscarriage, congenital defects, and prenatal death (Linna et al., 2014). Extreme restriction of caloric and nutritional intake stemming from body-image disturbances or fear of weight gain is one of the primary symptoms of an eating disorder.
Adverse live-born pregnancy outcomes among pregnant people with anorexia nervosa
2023, American Journal of Obstetrics and GynecologyThe effect of underweight on female and male reproduction
2020, Metabolism: Clinical and ExperimentalCitation Excerpt :Women with AN are likely to have increased risk of preterm birth, cesarean section, low birth weight infants, small for gestational age infants, infants with microcephaly, and a higher risk of perinatal mortality. This elevated risk of complications has been reported for women with a history of AN [82,103], irrespective of whether the AN was in an active phase or remitted [104]. Moreover, several studies suggest that pregnancy can trigger relapse for women in recovery from eating disorders [105–107].
Validation of the intuitive Eating Scale for pregnant women
2017, AppetiteCitation Excerpt :Pre-pregnancy maladaptive eating behaviors (e.g. restraint, disordered eating) have been related to excess and inadequate GWG and poor dietary intake during pregnancy (Conway, Reddy, & Davies, 1999; Mumford, Siega-Riz, Herring, & Evenson, 2008; Sollid, Wisborg, Hjort, & Secher, 2004). Women with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa prior to pregnancy were found to be at higher risk of impaired pregnancy outcomes including pre-term deliveries, small for gestational age babies and low birth weight infants (Micali, Treasure, & Simonoff, 2007; Sollid et al., 2004; Ward, 2008). Pre-pregnancy maladaptive eating behaviors have been linked with negative pregnancy outcomes, which implies these maladaptive eating behaviors should be treated before pregnancy.
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Supported by The Egmont Foundation, the Hede Nielsen Foundation, the Ivan Nielsen Foundation, and the Torben and Alice Frimodts Foundation.