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Eating Disorder & Pregnancy - Does Anorexia Kill the Baby?
How do pregnancy and eating disorders work together? A friend of mine was twenty-four when she was pregnant for the first time in her life. That was great news. But I knew that she suffered from a severe eating disorder. Would the baby be able to survive? Would she even risk her own life? Karen had been battling anorexia for almost ten years when she found out she was pregnant. She was already three months pregnant before she knew it. Because of her eating disorder, her periods came and came irregularly, often not at all. She also vomited several times a day. It was normal for...
Eating Disorder & Pregnancy - Does Anorexia Kill the Baby?
How do pregnancy and eating disorders work together? A friend of mine was twenty-four when she was pregnant for the first time in her life. That was great news. But I knew that she suffered from a severe eating disorder. Would the baby be able to survive? Would she even risk her own life?
Karen had been battling anorexia for almost ten years when she found out she was pregnant. She was already three months pregnant before she knew it. Because of her eating disorder, her periods came and came irregularly, often not at all. She also vomited several times a day. It was normal for her. That's why she discovered her pregnancy very late.
Women who suffer from anorexia nervosa or another eating disorder do not like to go to the doctor. They are afraid that their illness will be discovered. It was the same with Karen, but now she had to do something. She was worried that the baby would die and starve because she wasn't eating much at all. She knew she had a problem.
She read various stories about pregnant anorexic women on the Internet. Some said their baby had died, others said even their own lives were in danger because the baby was depriving the mother of the calories it needed to survive. Karen was shocked. Could her baby kill her? The panic drove her to the doctor.
An anorexic person suffers from a fatal disease. They are starving. It's amazing that a body in this condition can conceive. But when it happens, both the mother and the baby fight for their lives.
Even the doctors have different opinions. Some say the baby would die, others say pregnancy is not a problem because the baby would take what it needs. The key, however, is for a woman with an eating disorder to seek professional help during her pregnancy. She might even be hospitalized to get enough vitamins, minerals, and calories throughout her pregnancy. Without help, it can easily end in disaster. With the help of pregnancy, pregnancy is not a problem and the woman can have a healthy baby.
Inspired by Gerd Cornelius Pacher