How does pregnancy and eating disorder work together? A friend of mine was twenty four when she was pregnant for the fist time in her life. That was great news. But I knew from her that she was suffering from a severe eating disorder. Would the baby be able to survive? Would she even put her own life at risk?
Karen was battling anorexia for almost ten years when she found out that she was pregnant. She was in the third month already before she knew it. Because of her eating disorder her period did come and come irregularly, often not at all. She also was vomiting several times a day. It was normal to her. That is why she discovered her pregnancy very late.
Women that suffer from anorexia nervosa or any other eating disorder do not really like to go to the physician. They are scared that their disease is discovered. It was the same with Karen but now she had to do something. She was worried that the baby would die, starve to death because she was not eating much at all. She knew she had a problem.
In the Internet she read different stories about anorexic women that were pregnant. Some said that their baby died, others said that even their own life was at risk because the baby took the calories it needed from the mother to survive. Karen was shocked. Could her baby kill her? The panic drove her to the physician.
An anorexic person suffers from a deadly disease. They starve themselves to death. It is amazing that a body in this condition can become pregnant. But when it happens, both, the mother and the baby, are fighting for their lives.
Even the physicians have different opinions. Some say that the baby would die, others say pregnancy is not a problem because the baby would take what it needs. However, the key is that a woman who has an eating disorder looks for professional help during her pregnancy. She even might be hospitalized to get enough vitamins, minerals and calories during her pregnancy. Without help it easily ends in a disaster. With help the pregnancy is no problem and the woman can have a healthy baby.
