Women with a history of anorexia or bulimia may take longer to get pregnant, according to a research study.
A study of more than 11,000 women in the UK found 39.5 per cent of those with a history of anorexia and bulimia took longer than six months to conceive, compared to 25 per cent of women in the general population.
They were also more than twice as likely as women without a history of either disorder to need treatment to help them conceive (6.2 per cent versus 2.7 per cent).
However, overall, they were no more likely to take longer than 12 months to conceive than other women.
The study, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, was carried out by experts at King’s College London and University College London.
They found that women with a history of anorexia or bulimia were more likely to have unplanned pregnancies and to experience negative feelings when they found out they were pregnant.
While 71 per cent of all women were overjoyed or pleased on discovering their pregnancy, those with anorexia and bulimia were more than twice as likely to say ‘motherhood means personal sacrifice’.
They were also more than twice as likely (9.8 per cent versus 3.8 per cent) to report feeling unhappy when they found out they were pregnant.
All women in the study were asked to complete questionnaires when they were 12 and 18 weeks pregnant.
Of the group, 171 women had anorexia at some point in their life, 199 had bulimia and 82 had suffered from both conditions.
Lead author, Abigail Easter, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s, said: “This research highlights that there are risks to fertility associated with eating disorders.
“However, the high rates of unplanned pregnancies in women with a history of anorexia suggest that women may be underestimating their chances of conceiving.
“Pregnancy can be a difficult time for women with eating disorders and this is the first time feelings about pregnancy have been looked at among this group of women.
“Women planning a pregnancy should ideally seek treatment for their eating disorder symptoms prior to conception and health professionals should be aware of eating disorders when assessing fertility and providing treatment for this.”
Nadia Micali, from the Institute of Child Health at University College, said: “Health professionals are often unaware of the effects of eating disorders on pregnancy and fertility.
“Women with a history of anorexia for example are more likely to have unplanned pregnancies.
“This has now been replicated in three large studies and has important repercussions on the level of ante-natal and postnatal care they will need.”