Eating disorders, pregnancy, and the postpartum period:Findings from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa)

Abstract

This review summarizes studies on eating disorders in pregnancy and the postpartum period that have been conducted as part of the broader Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Prior to the 2000s, empirical literature on eating disorders in pregnancy was sparse and consisted mostly of studies in small clinical samples. MoBa has contributed to a new era of research by making population-based and large-sample research possible. To date, MoBa has led to 19 studies on diverse questions including the prevalence, course, and risk correlates of eating disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum. The associations between eating disorder exposure and pregnancy, birth and obstetric outcomes, and maternal and offspring health and well-being, have also been areas of focus. The findings indicate that eating disorders in pregnancy are relatively common and appear to confer health risks to mother and her child related to sleep, birth outcomes, maternal nutrition, and child feeding and eating.

Course, risk factors, and adverse outcomes of disordered eating in pregnancy

“…Findings on eating disorders in pregnancy are fairly robust, and multiple samples including Norwegian (Knoph et al, 2013;Watson et al, 2014), Italian (Popovic et al, 2018), British (Ward, 2008), and Chinese (Watson et al, 2015) have been studied regarding risk factors, prevalence, and adverse outcomes. Eating disorders in pregnancy are associated with detrimental consequences for both mothers and their infants, including miscarriage, prematurity, low birth weight, increased need for caesarean section, and other obstetric and postpartum difficulties (Linna et al, 2013;Watson et al, 2014).…”

Variation in reproductive outcomes of women with histories of bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, or eating disorder not otherwise specified relative to the general population and closest‐aged sisters

“…Past longitudinal research, including the literature produced from the MoBa and ALSPAC cohorts, has enriched our understanding of how EDs shape pregnancy, neonatal, and maternal outcomes (Watson et al, 2014), as well as how onset and remission of EDs evolve across pregnancy (Bulik et al, 2007). This work illustrates that EDs influence the reproductive health of women, particularly their ability to achieve and maintain healthy pregnancies.…”

“…Despite the association between EDs and fertility difficulties, women with a history of EDs are often still able to conceive (Bulik et al, 2010), and are more likely to identify a pregnancy as unintended (Watson et al, 2014). It is important to note that both biological and social mechanisms shape reproductive choices and outcomes of women with EDs (Barber, 2000; Newson, Postmes, Lea, & Webley, 2005).…”

Disordered eating attitudes and exercise in women undergoing fertility treatment

“…Eating disorders and obesity have been associated with a spectrum of negative emotional and physical issues during pregnancy and the postpartum period . Knowledge and awareness about disordered eating within a fertility population is therefore valuable in the context of identifying at‐risk prenatal patients potentially requiring ongoing medical and psychological support during pregnancy and in transition to motherhood.…”