MOTHERHOOD PANGS

Anorexic women may conceive late Likely To Need Fertility Treatment Too

Aspiring moms, please note — it is high time that you see a doctor for any symptoms of eating disorders, for a new study says it may elay pregnancy.
    Researchers at King’s College London have found that women with a history of eating disorders may struggle to fall pregnant quickly, reported ‘BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology’. These women are also more than twice as likely to need fertility treatment, the study of more than 11,000 UK mothers has claimed.
    In the study, the researchers found that 39.5% of women with a history of bulimia or anorexia took over six months to conceive. This compares with a quarter of women in the general population. The subjects were also more likely to need fertility treatment (6.2% of women with eating disorders, compared with 2.7% of the general population).
    However, perhaps surprisingly, more pregnancies in the group of women who had anorexia at some point were unplanned. Lead researcher Abigail Easter of the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College, was quoted by the ‘BBC’ as saying, “This research highlights that there are risks to fertility associated with eating disorders. However, high rates of unplanned pregnancies in women with a history of anorexia suggest that women may be underestimating their chances of conceiving.”
    She said pregnancy could be a difficult time for women with eating disorders. She added: “Women planning a pregnancy should ideally seek treatment for their eating disorder symptoms prior to conception, and health professionals should be aware of eating disorders when assessing fertility and providing treatment.”