photo courtesy of http://www.maternalwisdom.org/
In recent years a handful of unofficial terms have seeped into the existing eating disorder vocabulary. From “wannarexia” to “manorexia”, these trendy expressions have been popping up in articles and blogs across the internet. More recently, “pregorexia” has made appearances. This word attempts to diagnose the intersection of pregnancy and eating disorders. The term has been unofficially coined in response to the growing awareness of pregnant women acting on ED (eating disorder) symptoms in an attempt to avoid the weight gain and body changes that take place in normal, healthy pregnancies. Some propose that the trend is a result of the media’s increasing coverage of celebrities’ unrealistic pregnant and post-baby bodies.
The Center for Eating Disorders agrees that the media can play a role in the development and maintenance of people’s eating disorders but it does not cause eating disorders in and of itself. It is also important to point out that most women who would be described as having “pregorexia” have had body image problems and disordered eating (if not full-fledged eating disorders) long before they were pregnant.
Eating disorders are exacerbated by stress, and pregnancy is an intense physical and emotional stressor. It is no surprise that some women experience an intensification or return of ED symptoms during pregnancy. The “pregorexia” label is concerning because it distracts from the real and very serious eating disorder and implies that the problem will go away after nine months when the label no longer applies. It can also stigmatize a population of woman who already notoriously underreport their ED symptoms to doctors due to the guilt associated with having an ED during pregnancy.
Very simply put, a pregnant woman who is simultaneously suffering from anorexia, bulimia or any other eating disorder, needs support and professional treatment to ensure her health and the health of her unborn baby. What she doesn’t need is a fictitious label to disguise, excuse or further stigmatize the real problem.
The Center for Eating Disorders does not encourage the use of “pregorexia” or any other terms that make light of eating disorders. It can be very dangerous to replace official diagnoses with unofficial labels that could minimize, mask or distract from the underlying illness and might reduce one’s motivation to seek treatment. These invented terms do not exist as independent diagnoses for a reason and cannot, and should not, take the place of professional assessments and official diagnoses.
*****Eating Disorders during pregnancy can be particularly dangerous for both mother and child. Some of the risks include miscarriage, birth defects or abnormalities, premature or low birth weight babies, and an increased risk of post-partum depression. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder and need treatment, please contact the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt at (410) 938-5252 or email us at EatingDisorderInfo@sheppardpratt.org .*****
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