This is also a period in which previously dormant psychological issues rise to the surface and when current issues have the potential to worsen. Because anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa occur primarily in young women, many of whom are of childbearing age, it is important to evaluate the potential medical and psychological consequences when an eating disordered woman becomes pregnant. During pregnancy, conflicts about body changes, alterations in roles, additions of responsibility, and concerns about a woman s own mothering abilities are prevalent. Many of these concerns are also of great importance to the psychology of eating disorders. The potential for pregnancy to exert a positive or negative influence on eating disorder symptoms is inconclusive.
Some studies report a decline in symptoms, while other report heightened symptomatology.
Anorexia Nervosa and Pregnancy Pregnancy in patients with anorexia nervosa is rarely suspected. These symptoms include a bloated abdomen, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. The course of pregnancy for anorexic patients is laden with complications. In most cases the woman refuses to gain adequate weight during pregnancy, resulting in a low birth weight baby and the potential for growth retardation. Less common are cases in which the misuse of diuretics has resulted in the deaths of mother and child.