A total of 39.5% of those who have suffered from anorexia and bulimia took more than six months to conceive, compared to 25% for the general population.
However, those with a history of eating disorders are no more likely to take longer than 12 months to conceive, according to the research from King’s College London and UCL, published by
BJOG.
Lead author, Abigail Easter, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, said: ‘This research highlights that there are risks to fertility associated with eating disorders.
‘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 for this.’
The study looked at 11,088 women from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and those surveyed were asked to complete questionnaires at 12 and 18 weeks’ gestation.
The study also found that women with anorexia and bulimia are more than twice as likely to have received treatment or help to conceive their current pregnancy.
But when asked at 18 weeks’ gestation, women with anorexia were more likely to report that their pregnancy was unintentional and consider motherhood to be a ‘personal sacrifice’.
Of the total number of women surveyed, 1.5% had anorexia at some point in their life, 1.8% had bulimia and an additional 0.7% had suffered from both conditions.
RCM practice and standards development advisor Mervi Jokinen said: ‘Midwives are key to providing women with positive support to reduce anxiety or any adverse mental reactions not only during pregnancy, but post-pregnancy too as these women are more prone to ante- or postnatal depression.
‘When caring for a woman suffering from or with a history of an eating disorder, the care plan should be tailored to these needs to encourage open discussion and a solid relationship with the woman,’ she said.
