Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Disordered Or [Ab]Normal Eating In Pregnancy, Amy Bannatyne, Peta Stapleton, Roger Hughes, Bruce Watt

Peta B. Stapleton

Introduction: Pregnancy is a powerful biopsychosocial event that involves a multitude of rapid changes to a woman’s body, eating patterns, social functioning, and self identity – most of which are largely outside her control. Although it is well known that eating disorders and disordered eating disproportionally affect young women often during childbearing years, historically, scientific understanding of the intersection between pregnancy and eating disorders has been poor. Overall, it is known that pregnancy can impact an eating disorder in three main ways: 1) Pregnancy may function as a catalyst for remission 2) Pregnancy may exacerbate existing ED symptoms 3) Pregnancy …