Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41283374›Full record

ArticlePediatric reports2025

Pregnancy and Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Eating Disorders: A Four-Year Longitudinal Study with Case Series.

Bárbara César Machado, Sónia Gonçalves, Sofia Duarte, Isabel Brandão, António Roma-Torres, Filipa Soares

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Article in Pediatric reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Bárbara César MachadoCEDH-Research Centre for Human Development, Faculdade de Educação e Psicologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-7004-5410
Sónia GonçalvesPsychology School, University of Minho, 4704-553 Braga, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-1047-1503
Sofia DuartePsychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital of S. João, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.
Isabel BrandãoPsychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital of S. João, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.
António Roma-TorresPsychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital of S. João, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-9163-082X
Filipa SoaresCEDH-Research Centre for Human Development, Faculdade de Educação e Psicologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesEating disorders (EDs) often affect fertility, yet many women with ED still become mothers. The pattern of ED symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum, along with their effects on maternal and child health, is not yet fully understood. This longitudinal study aimed to (1) examine the course of ED symptoms from conception to postpartum, (2) evaluate pregnancy outcomes and children's health and developmental milestones, and (3) assess ED status approximately four years after the initial evaluation.

methodsThirty women with a prior ED diagnosis (21 with anorexia nervosa, 9 with bulimia nervosa) were evaluated at two time points. Time 1 with the Eating Disorders Examination and the Oxford Risk Factors for Eating Disorders: Interview Schedule; Time 2, approximately four years later, with the Eating Disorders Examination and the Clinical Interview on Reproductive History and Eating Behavior that also included clinical data related to mother's health and baby's health and development accessed through the Pregnant Women's Health Bulletin and the Child and Youth Health Bulletin using the national health records.

resultsED symptoms (dietary restriction, self-induced vomiting, laxative misuse) persisted from conception through postpartum. BN participants reported more severe symptoms and higher rates of pregnancy complications (hyperemesis gravidarum, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia), while premature births occurred only in AN participants. Children of mothers with AN more frequently showed delays in developmental milestones (sitting, walking, speaking, sphincter control) compared to those of BN mothers.

conclusionsA substantial proportion of women with prior ED continued to experience symptoms during and after pregnancy, and nearly half still met diagnostic criteria four years later and are still in treatment. Cognitive features such as body dissatisfaction persisted despite partial symptom remission. These findings highlight the chronicity of ED and underscore the need for systematic screening, psychological support, and interdisciplinary follow-up during pregnancy and early motherhood.

Indexed as

baby and children’s developmentcourse and outcome of ED symptomseating disorderspostpartumpregnancy

Identifiers

PMID41283374
PMCPMC12641616

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