Pregnant women with anorexia are more likely to have a stillbirth, a baby who is underweight, or a baby who is born prematurely, but there are no clear standards for how doctors should treat the illness.
According to a new Monash University study, researchers have identified hidden difficulties and produced suggestions and principles for interdisciplinary care of anorexia nervosa in pregnancy.
The study’s findings were published in the ‘The Lancet Psychiatry’ publication. The results include a focus on the mental health, obstetric, medical, and nutritional care that mothers and their infants require to achieve optimal outcomes.
Pregnant women with anorexia are more likely to have a stillbirth, a baby who is underweight, or a baby who is born prematurely, but there are no clear standards for how doctors should treat the illness.
Anorexia nervosa is more common in women throughout their reproductive years, with up to one in every 200 pregnant women suffering from the disorder. It’s usually linked to either limiting or bingeing and purging, or both.
Professor Galbally claims that there are few research and professional recommendations on how to manage pregnant women with anorexia.
“Unlike mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and psychotic disorders, anorexia nervosa in pregnancy has limited advice and study. The examination and management of eating disorders in pregnancy is only included briefly or not at all in perinatal mental health recommendations, including those in the United Kingdom and Australia “she said
“Assessment methods used outside of pregnancy, such as the Eating Disorder Inventory or relying on BMI, have been demonstrated to have limited validity in pregnancy,” she continued.
“While many of the principles developed for the treatment of anorexia nervosa in adults are applicable in pregnancy, they require expert modification and adaptation due to the significant physiological, psychological, and social changes that occur during pregnancy, and foetal growth and wellbeing should also be taken into account,” the authors concluded.
