Experiences From Pregnancy and Post-partum Period in Women With a History of Eating Disorders.

Overview

Women with the eating disorder bulimia nervosa (BN) have been found to have a higher risk of unplanned pregnancies than healthy women, and experience greater miscarriage, premature birth, birth complications, and postpartum depression. Other studies have found that women with eating disorders seem to find motivation to refrain from the eating disordered behavior for the sake of the fetus, but that it is highly different whether this gives sustained or only a temporary remission. Eating disorders are rarely detected in the primary health care service, nor during pregnancy or during follow-up in fertility clinics. Meeting a health care provider in the pregnancy care service who does not know about the eating disorder or who does not understand the disease well enough, can also make the management and experience of pregnancy and weight gain extra difficult. The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge on how women with a history of eating disorder experience their bodily changes, and how they experience the health service in pregnancy care and post-partum period.

Women with the eating disorder bulimia nervosa (BN) have been found to have a higher risk of unplanned pregnancies than healthy women, and experience greater miscarriage, premature birth, birth complications, and postpartum depression. Having a disorder in which the overevaluation of the need to control body weight and food intake is pertinent, may cause a tremendous mental challenge to accept the bodily change through a pregnancy. Other studies have found that women with eating disorders seem to find motivation to refrain from the eating disordered behavior for the sake of the fetus, but that it is highly different whether this gives sustained or only a temporary remission. Eating disorders are rarely detected in the primary health care service, nor during pregnancy or during follow-up in fertility clinics. Meeting a health care provider in the pregnancy care service who does not know about the eating disorder or who does not understand the disease well enough, can also make the management and experience of pregnancy and weight gain extra difficult. The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge on how women with a hisory of eating disorders experience bodily changes through pregnancy, and how the pregnancy care service is experienced. The purpose of this data collection is to help design preparatory information for women with eating disorders who become pregnant, and to promote best practice guidelines for the health service in the meeting with, and follow-up of, pregnant women with a history of eating disorders.