Pregorexia: Risks For Mother And Baby
Have you ever heard any talk yourself about pregorexia? So, in this article from the Sou Mama blog, we tell what is this dangerous eating disorder that poses a great risk to both the pregnant woman and her baby.
What is Pregorexia?
As we said before, when we speak of Pregorexia we are referring primarily to a disorder of power. In this case, it is specifically a disorder in pregnant women, who have an obsessive fear of the possibility of gaining weight.
Of course, this type of suffering necessarily entails a serious risk not only for the pregnant woman, but also for the baby on the way. Therefore, premature births or miscarriages are some of the effects of this condition.
According to several Nutrition experts, this disease tends to appear before pregnancy. Anyway, somehow, it implies the increase of previous eating and mental disorders.
Thus, during pregnancy, pathologies such as OCD, depression, body image disorder, etc. are accentuated. At this point, the fact that the pregnancy was or was not desired also influences a lot , in addition to the conflicts that the couple faces.
Thus, all these previously mentioned factors together with the fear of becoming overweight in the postpartum period – and its consequent body modification – have explosive potential for future mothers.
Pregorexia: why does it imply risk?
When doctors specializing in the subject refer to pregorexia, they are dealing with something more than a simple female obsession, that is, the desire to have a slim body shape. So, they know that they face a complex and therefore difficult-to-treat disorder.
Therefore, the solution in the health field is interdisciplinary, which necessarily implies a reinforcement of the psychological approach to the problem. Thus, it is worth asking what are the risks that this disease brings.
As is well known, one of the most important factors in pregnancy, which pregnant women should pay close attention to, is to have adequate nutrition. It is capable of providing both the mother and the fetus with a good state of health, in addition to ensuring the correct development of the baby.
In this way, it is possible to affirm that when faced with a case of pregorexia, the effects will not be positive for both. Certainly, a woman with this type of disorder can reach the point of generating – even without her wishing to – negative consequences for the embryo.
The risks generated by Pregorexia
Therefore, the lack of consumption of essential nutrients necessarily affects not only the baby’s nutrition, but also the placenta and its neurological development. However, that’s not all, as scientists point to a series of even more painful consequences.
Among the sequelae are cases of low birth weight babies, the incidence of premature births and miscarriages, in addition to the occurrence of childhood congenital malformations that irreversibly affect the child’s neurological development.
According to experts, when it comes to cases derived from anorexia nervosa, pregorexia can lead to very serious cases of malnutrition, capable of affecting both the mother and the baby.
Well, against the background of a case related to bulimia nervosa, this disease can cause the so-called “hyperemesis gravidarum” throughout pregnancy. This means that the pregnant woman will suffer severe nausea and vomiting.
This necessarily leads to dehydration, weight loss above 5%, ketonuria and metabolic and electrolyte imbalance. In short, the final result of this clinical condition ends up compromising not only the mother’s life, but also the baby’s.
