According to a new study, pregnant women with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa are five times more likely to give birth to low birth weight babies. The 38th Annual Meeting of the ESHRE results also demonstrates a significantly higher risk (298%) of premature birth and a more than doubled chance (341%) of placental abruption. This is in contrast to mothers who do not have anorexia, which is often a permanent mental illness.
The specifics of the analysis will be described by Ido Fefferkorn, MD, of McGill University in Montreal, Canada. This severe mental illness marked by hunger and malnutrition was based on data from more than 9 million women, both with and without anorexia.
In comparing outcomes to offspring of healthy-weight women, Dr. Fefferkorn in particular highlighted the findings on the incidence of small-to-gestational age newborns as “more shocking.” Although anorexic women can still get pregnant naturally or with the help of ovulation-stimulating fertility drugs, eating disorders can affect menstruation.
According to Dr. Fefferkorn, the study findings sent a serious health warning about how these patients should be managed during and after pregnancy. She said that many fertility doctors face the challenge of treating malnourished women. Or, by refusing to do so, you may deprive these patients of the satisfaction of becoming a parent.
The clinic should be aware of the severity of adverse pregnancy outcomes in anorexic patients who conceive. The data was obtained from a large, publicly accessible database of inpatient hospital treatment records in the US. Both pregnancies in which a woman was diagnosed with anorexia during pregnancy (n = 214) and pregnancies in which she was not (n = 9,096,574) were included.
Overall, the findings indicated that anorexic women experienced significantly negative pregnancy outcomes. Additionally, they demonstrated that these people were more likely to smoke, have thyroid disease, be Caucasian, have better incomes, and have other mental conditions in addition to eating problems.
Rates for other conditions affecting pregnant women did not differ. These included chorioamnionitis, placenta previa, gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, and postpartum hemorrhage. Compared with women without anorexia, there was no greater need for caesarean section. The authors were unable to evaluate the degree of dietary or treatment compliance, which is one of the weaknesses of the study.
According to Dr. Fefferkorn, a common interpretation of the data is that women should be assessed for anorexia before receiving fertility treatment.
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