Abstract
BackgroundPregnancy is a time of enormous body transformation. For those with an eating disorder during pregnancy this time of transformation can be distressing and damaging to both the mother and the child. In this meta-ethnographic study, we aimed to examine the experiences of women with an Eating Disorder in the perinatal period; that is during pregnancy and two years following birth.MethodA meta-ethnographic framework was used in this review. After a systematic online search of the literature using the keywords such as pregnancy, eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, perinatal, postnatal and post-partum, 11 papers, involving 94 women, were included in the review.ResultsA qualitative synthesis of the papers identified 2 key themes. The key theme that emerged during pregnancy was: navigating a ‘new’ eating disorder. The key that emerged in the perinatal period was return to the ‘old’ eating disorder.ConclusionFollowing a tumultuous pregnancy experience, many described returning to their pre-pregnancy eating behaviors and thoughts. These experiences highlight the emotional difficulty experienced having an eating disorder whilst pregnant but they also point to opportunities for intervention and a continued acceptance of body image changes. More research is needed on the experiences of targeted treatment interventions specific for pregnant and postpartum women with an eating disorder and the effectiveness of putative treatment interventions during this period.
Highlights
Pregnancy is a time of enormous body transformation
Following a tumultuous pregnancy experience, many described returning to their pre-pregnancy eating behaviors and thoughts
The types of eating disorders examined in the study included 22 with Anorexia Nervosa, 17 with Bulimia Nervosa, 10 with Bulimia Nervosa, binge eating disorder (BED) or Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, 34 with an Eating Disorder, and 11 with Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa
Summary
Pregnancy is a time of enormous body transformation. For those with an eating disorder during pregnancy this time of transformation can be distressing and damaging to both the mother and the child. In this meta-ethnographic study, we aimed to examine the experiences of women with an Eating Disorder in the perinatal period; that is during pregnancy and two years following birth. The most common and well-recognised eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder (BED) [3]. Depression and anxiety disorders are common co-morbidities of anorexia nervosa which can make treatment and recovery more difficult [4,5,6]. A growing body of evidence has contradicted this belief and provided confirmation that can pregnancy occur during an eating disorder but that it is more common than previously thought [9, 10]
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