Eating disorders wreak havoc on the body in many ways. Bulimia, anorexia nervosa, and obesity strip the body of proper nutrients and kick hormones out of balance. But, not only can these disorders cause excessive weight gain or loss, but also a painful life-altering condition-infertility.
According to Obstetrician Gynecologist, Dr. Michael McCarthy, all three of these eating disorders pose problems for women who are trying to conceive. Poor nutrition along with stress and depression from suffering from an eating disorder all combine and make conception and a full-term pregnancy extremely difficult.
Nearly 1 to 2 percent of women suffer from anorexia. Dr. McCarthy explains that anorexic women often do not produce enough body fat to trigger menstruation. When the body is using its energy to survive the starvation it feels, it shuts down its ovulatory function. Amenorrhea, when the menstrual cycle stops, then occurs and prevents a woman from conceiving.
Nearly 2 to 3 percent of women suffer from bulimia. Women with bulimia are more likely to conceive than women with anorexia, but often miscarry lose their child before birth. Because a bulimic gorges himself/herself on food and then purges it by vomiting or using diuretic pills, they evacuate the nutrients the baby needs to survive. A study revealed that bulimics were twice more likely to miscarry than healthy women.
Women who suffer from obesity also often have trouble conceiving a child. Because their hormones are often unbalanced, signals that are normally sent to the reproductive system are interrupted and conception fails.
Dr. McCarthy also listed other reasons that could cause infertility:
- Smoking
- Alcohol abuse
- Excessive caffeine
- Older age, specifically 35+
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
It is still possible for women who have eating disorders to have a baby, but it may increase their risk of developing gestational diabetes, postpartum depression, and having complications during labor. Some risks for the baby may include low birth weight, jaundice, birth defects and death within their first month of life.
For these reasons, it is best to manage eating disorders before becoming pregnant. Professional assistance and support from friends and family can better the health of both mother and child.
The encouraging news is that women who can cure their eating disorder will most likely be able to conceive and have a baby. 75 to 80 percent of women who get treatment and learn to overcome their eating disorder will eventually conceive a child.
Eating disorder programs are available to women suffering from disorders such as anorexia. Studies showed that in women who achieved 95 percent of a healthy body weight, 73 percent of them were aided by these programs so that their ovulation cycles were restored and they eventually became pregnant.