Unplanned pregnancies more common in women with anorexia nervosa
October 30th, 2010 - 1:22 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Oct 30 (ANI): Women with anorexia nervosa are much more likely to have both unplanned pregnancies and induced abortions than women who don’t have the serious eating disorder, according to a new study.
The study has been conducted by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Norwegian researchers.
Lead author Cynthia M. Bulik said that these results may be driven by a mistaken belief among women with anorexia that they can’t get pregnant because they are either not having menstrual periods at all or are having irregular periods.
“Anorexia is not a good contraceptive. Just because you’re not menstruating, or because you’re menstruating irregularly, doesn’t mean you’re not at risk for becoming pregnant,” said Bulik.
“Physicians and other health care providers need to be aware of this as well. Doctors who treat women and adolescent girls, in particular, “need to make sure that they have the conversation about sexuality and contraception as clearly with patients with anorexia as they do with all other girls and women,” she added.
Bulik and study co-authors analyzed data collected from 62,060 and there were 62 women in this sample who reported having anorexia nervosa.
The differences between women with anorexia and women with no eating disorder were striking. The average age of the mothers at delivery was 26.2 years in women with anorexia, compared with 29.9 years in the referent group of women without eating disorders.
Fifty percent of women with anorexia reported unplanned pregnancies, compared with 18.9 percent, while 24.2 percent of women with anorexia reported having induced abortions in the past, compared to 14.6 percent.
The study is published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. (ANI)
- Anorexic women more likely to have unplanned pregnancies - Oct 31, 2010
- Why anorexics don't like eating - May 22, 2011
- Study says that teens having eating disorders are prone to suicide - Mar 15, 2011
- Abortion still taboo in Pakistan - Jan 16, 2012
- Beware - eating disorders might hasten death - Jul 14, 2011
- Anorexia nervosa 'causes potentially serious eye damage' - Oct 20, 2010
- Brain volume changes following weight gain in anorexics - May 27, 2010
- Brain volume loss caused by anorexia can be regained - May 31, 2010
- Brain wiring makes women anorexic or obese - May 15, 2012
- Babies born in spring 'more likely to develop anorexia nervosa' - Apr 28, 2011
- Eating disorders prevalent among adolescents: US study - Mar 08, 2011
- Economic downturn making British women opt for abortions - Aug 14, 2012
- How women with anorexia portray themselves - Feb 15, 2011
- Increased use of intrauterine device may reduce unwanted pregnancies - Jun 10, 2010
- Ban skinny models from catwalk - Mar 02, 2012
Tags: abortions, adolescent girls, anorexia nervosa, contraception, contraceptive, eating disorder, eating disorders, group of women, health care providers, irregular periods, menstrual periods, mistaken belief, north carolina at chapel, north carolina at chapel hill, norwegian researchers, obstetrics, oct 30, referent, university of north carolina, university of north carolina at chapel hill