Improved
6112 HealthChanged
3786 LivesSaved
3568 Lives0 lives impacted in the last 24 hrs Learn More
Dr. Berkus explains if an eating disorder can prevent a woman from giving birth to a healthy baby.
Dr. Berkus:
If the eating disorder is anorexia, sure, because we know that we need 17% body fat to menstruate. If women aren’t menstruating there’s no way they are going to get pregnant.
Once they are pregnant, if they are not taking enough calories in to support a growing embryo and then a fetus, we know there’s a higher risk of spontaneous abortions in patients with anorexia.
So, oddly enough, once someone becomes pregnant, they give themselves permission to eat because now they are not eating for themselves, they are eating for the baby, but it does require additional help and falling under a high-risk pregnancy condition.
Visit Dr. Berkus at her Website:
http://www.mac.com/vberkus