Starving for Two

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In the 2015, January issue of Today’s Dietitian, Lindsey Getz writes about a new term, pregorexia, used by the media to define women who exhibit eating disorder behaviors during their pregnancy to avoid gaining weight. Pregorexia is not currently a medical term, therefore, there is no official medical definition. Despite no official recognition, pregorexia describes behaviors including extreme dieting, overly strenuous exercise, and even binging and purging throughout pregnancy. During pregnancy, women gain a “baby bump” but they also gain weight in the hips, thighs, and other areas of the body. Some women still feel the pressure to be thin, even during pregnancy which often triggers pregorexia. These behaviors are putting pregnant mothers and their babies at risk. Pregorexia falls into two categories: women who have suffered from previous eating disorders and are carrying it into their pregnancy, and women who have never suffered from an eating disorder but cannot accept gaining weight during their pregnancy, ultimately leading to eating disorder behaviors. OB/GYNs are the most likely to be able to notice eating disorders, however, most OB/GYNs do not receive proper training to detect signs of a gestational eating disorder. Throughout the years, doctor visits have decreased significantly to half the time with physicians. This makes hiding an eating disorder much easier since patients are rushed through 15 minute appointments nowadays. Poor nutritional intake during pregnancy puts the baby and mother at high risk of low birth weight, anemia, ADHD, rickets, heart disease, poor growth and cognitive development, and miscarriage or preterm delivery. Treatment is a collaborative team effort amongst doctors, dietitians, and counselors. OB/GYNs and their constituents should be educated about the warning signs of eating disorder patterns and screen their patients. Registered dietitians can ensure patients are meeting nutrition needs for both macro and micronutrients for proper fetal growth and development. This article is a real eye-opener for individuals working with pregnant mothers and encourages them to take the time to screen patients and refer them to get the help they need for a healthy and safe pregnancy.

Getz, L. (2015, January). Starving for two. Today’s Dietitian, (17)1, 14.

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