Starving for Two

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"Pregorexia" has been a term recently used in the media, it is not currently a medical term and therefor has no medical definition. However, it is becoming more and more common in the world of pregnant women struggling to maintain their weight while pregnant. This can occur in women that have previously had an eating disorder, but can also occur in women who have never had trouble with eating disorders in the past but are horrified to see a weight on the scale they are not use to.  OB/GYN's see their pregnant patients the most, and would therefore be the best line of defense when it comes to pregnancy eating disorders. Unfortunatly, most OB/GYN's do not know the signs and symptoms to look for when evaluating for an eating disorder. And with new standards and hospital regulations, patients are in and out of the office in 15 minutes or less, making it difficult to have the time to get the answers need to diagnose. Treatment requires counseling and looking out for tricks (such as overexercising to compensate for calorie intake) that OB/GYN's might miss. It is important to be educated about the signs to avoid life threatening complications.

I think this article is really cool for anyone going into the prenatal nutrition area of practice. I have been at WIC for weeks now, and have worked with pregnant women before, and NEVER have I though, "I wonder if she has an eating disorder". This article is a real eye opener for anyone working with soon-to-be moms!
-JR

Getz, L. (2015). Starving for Two. Today's Dietitian, 17(1), 14-           16. http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/011315p14.shtml.

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