Pregorexia: body image over baby?

Bainbridge, Jane

doi:10.12968/bjom.2008.16.9.30890

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Women with pregorexia have strong concerns for their weight and body size, therefore; So, exercise is a means of coping for them, a good exercise is good to relax and keep fit however an overdo should be avoided by all means not to keep the health of mother and baby at stake. Size-obsessed females can go to extremes to avoid gaining weight during pregnancy, and for compensation, they spend hours at fitness centers, restrict their diet, and risk the health of themselves and their babies [ 2 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A rare phenomenon of pregorexia in Pakistani women: need to understand the related behaviors

Saleem

Saleem²,

Shoib

et al. 2022

J Eat Disord

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Background In Pakistan, for a decade or so, there has been a huge increase in body ideals, and thinness and eating disorders reported during pregnancy. The purpose of the present research was to study the lived experiences and behaviors characterized by pregorexia in Pakistani young women. Method A phenomenological approach was used to study eating disorder-related behaviors among pregnant women. A criterion sample of 15 women (22–34 years of age) having difficulty with their body image, the decline in caloric intake, skipping meals, and extensive exercise from a private gynae clinic of Islamabad was selected. The participants were screened on the DSM-5 criteria of anorexia nervosa. They were also asked questions about their diet intake, behaviors executed to lose or maintain weight, use of any medical or chemical substance to control weight, any social activities/behaviors, type of exercise if any, duration or frequency of exercise, and behaviors that made them feel better. Results The findings revealed that 93.33% of women met the complete criteria of Anorexia nervosa. 86.6% had never been diagnosed or treated with anorexia nervosa, however, 13.33% were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa comorbid with depression. Results indicated a likelihood of having anorexic tendencies in 40% of women and the other 60% developed the symptoms during pregnancy only. Behaviors related to pregorexia were found to be: skipping meals, eating small portions, control on calorie intake, following diet plans available on YouTube, taking fat burn tea, avoiding the presence of elders of the family while taking meals, eating alone to limit food portion, taking laxatives or medicine to control weight, induced vomiting after eating, eating to match the norm of eating (supervised eating by elders) being pregnant and later self-induced vomiting, or eating slowly and consuming more time, pretending to eat the suitable amount of food. Women also engaged in fast walking, light exercise, and intensive cardio to control weight and stay in body shape. Around 86% reported that controlling weight, calorie intake, and exercising made them feel better. Conclusion There is a need to understand and differentiate pregorexia from other eating behaviors and problems among pregnant women with respect to cultural context.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A rare phenomenon of pregorexia in Pakistani women: need to understand the related behaviors

Saleem

Saleem²,

Shoib

et al. 2022

J Eat Disord

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show abstract

“…The common theoretical basis for all EDs is conceptualized as a disturbance in body image [ 19 , 20 ]. To what extent the changing body experienced during pregnancy can represent an aggravating factor in predisposed individuals, or whether women are diagnosed during pregnancy for a pre-existing condition, is currently debated [ 21 ]. In other words, following a classical diathesis-stress model [ 22 , 23 ], it can be posited that pregnancy elevates stress related to body image, and personal vulnerability interacts with the gestational experience defining an individual stress response, informed by environmental, cognitive and social factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregorexia: a systematic review and meta-analysis on the constructs of body image dissatisfaction and eating disturbances by gestational age in the peripartum

Tarchi,

Merola,

Selvi

et al. 2023

Eat Weight Disord

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Purpose Pregorexia is a phenomenon posited to occur in the peripartum, characterized by an attempt to counter pregnancy’s physiological changes in body shape through reduced calorie intake or increased physical activity. Methods In this pre-registered systematic review and meta-analysis, body image dissatisfaction and eating psychopathology in the peripartum according to gestational age were formally assessed. PubMed was searched up to May 2023. Selection criteria were represented by studies on body image concerns or eating psychopathology in the peripartum (up to 1 year after delivery). The population needed to include women from the general population or among patients with a history of (or current) eating disorder. For the meta-analysis, 17 studies were included: 10 for body image dissatisfaction (2625 individuals overall), 7 for eating behaviors (2551 individuals overall). The interplay between body image and the following themes was examined in depth: the adoption of breastfeeding, peripartum depression, sociocultural influences on body image, sexual disturbances, experiencing or reporting an altered food intake. Results Progressive dissatisfaction with body image during pregnancy by gestational age was observed, stably elevated for at least 12 months postpartum. Eating psychopathology was observed as elevated only at 12 months in the postpartum, but not during pregnancy. Discussion The current work offers normative values of body image satisfaction and eating psychopathology in the peripartum by gestational age. The relevance of current results was discussed, in order to inform both current clinical practice and future public policies. Level of Evidence Level I—Evidence obtained from: systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

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“…A recent review has also emphasized the specific role of self-comparison to slender celebrities in the establishment of negative portrayals of one’s physical appearance [ 11 ]. Moreover, in an era where even pregnancy remains mediatized, the distortions of reality by overly thin pregnant celebrities and the constant promotion of “glamour pregnancies” have extended the excruciating preoccupations about body image to the pregnancy and postpartum periods [ 12 ]. In addition to the pressures exerted by the society and popular media platforms, it has long been postulated that women who are predisposed to pregorexia lack adequate social support systems [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnancy through the Looking-Glass: correlates of disordered eating attitudes among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women

Gerges,

Obeid,

Hallit

2023

BMC Psychiatry

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Introduction Despite the risks of gestational disordered eating for both the mother and fetus, research into this subject is scarce within developing countries, particularly in Lebanon. Our study’s objective was to delve into the predictors of disordered eating attitudes during pregnancy among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women while assessing the potential mediating effect of body dissatisfaction between psychosocial factors and disordered eating attitudes in pregnancy. Methods We framed a cross-sectional study, built on self-report measures. Pregnant women of 18 years old and above were recruited from all the Lebanese governorates through an online survey (N = 433). Results The results showed that higher pregnancy-specific hassles (Beta = 0.19), media and pregnant celebrities’ influence (Beta = 0.22), and body dissatisfaction (Beta = 0.17) were significantly associated with increased disordered eating attitudes in pregnancy; whereas higher perceived social support (Beta = -0.03), lower socio-economic status (Beta = -0.84), and multigravidity (Beta = -0.96) were significantly associated with less disordered eating attitudes during pregnancy. Body dissatisfaction mediated the association between pregnancy-specific hassles and disordered eating attitudes, and between social appearance concerns and disordered eating attitudes. Conclusion Our study highlighted that antenatal care, particularly in Lebanon, should no longer be limited to biological monitoring but rather seek to identify possible eating disorders and mental health threats. Further investigations following longitudinal designs should pursue identifying additional correlates of gestational disordered eating in the clinical context, in furtherance of consolidating screening programs and building targeted treatment strategies.

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Pregorexia: body image over baby?

Abstract: Size-obsessed women can go to extreme lengths to avoid weight gain in pregnancy, spending hours at the gym and excessively controlling their diet, but it's not only their health at stake—what about baby's?

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

A rare phenomenon of pregorexia in Pakistani women: need to understand the related behaviors

A rare phenomenon of pregorexia in Pakistani women: need to understand the related behaviors

Pregorexia: a systematic review and meta-analysis on the constructs of body image dissatisfaction and eating disturbances by gestational age in the peripartum

Pregnancy through the Looking-Glass: correlates of disordered eating attitudes among a sample of Lebanese pregnant women

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