Worries about conception due to a previous eating disorder.

[Blossomingflower94]

Hello all!

Firstly please can we make sure this remains a positive thread - negativity won't help anyone.

Long story short, I was in an abusive relationship from 16yo - 21yo and ended up developing anorexia and bulimia resulting in a hospital stay for 8 months. Now i'm in a relationship with someone who thinks the world of me and treats me (now i know) as I deserve to be treated.

We have agreed to start TTC this month and my only concern is that of statistics relating to previous mental health conditions re occurring during pregnancy due to increased hormones and weight gain.

Please can anyone link me to some resources / give advise from personal experience. Did anyone breeze through pregnancy without their past eating disorder raising its ugly head?

Just want to be prepared. Im in the UK so any assistance would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hiya, I'm sorry for all you've been through

My sister had anorexia, but when she fell pregnant she gained weight normally and healthily and didn't relapse. The same with her other two pregnancies.

I have a history of disordered eating and being far too underweight, but I have never felt more complete and beautiful as when I was pregnant and got heavier and thicker. In fact my baby is 4 months old now and after losing weight since the birth (mostly water weight so it fell off) I am trying to gain some weight for the first time ever, as being pg helped me realise my body has many important functions and so I need to being giving it enough fuel to run on and I need to be strong for my baby. I never felt strong when I was too skinny.

I hope this makes sense and I hope it helps, I don't know if it's what you're after and I know it's different for everyone. You just need to put things in perspective, when you are pregnant you have a life depending on you and it helped me to remember that at the start when I started feeling bloated etc.

@nabana Thank you so much, two positive examples! :D I really appreciate the information.

I'm in a safe, loving environment now so hopefully I'll remain healthy and stable once pregnant too.

Congratulations on your bundle of joy

I was just coming through an anorexia relapse when I conceived (god knows how!) and I've been fine throughout pregnancy - I've seen the perinatal mental health team a couple of times and have had a couple of extra growth scans but I've found it's been relatively easy to eat enough particularly in the first trimester when it was the only thing that kept the nausea at bay. My main concern is a relapse after birth but I've been working with my psychiatrist, midwife and health visitor to put in place plans to try and avoid that. Wishing you the very best of luck

@mynameiscalypso sorry to hear about the earlier relapse. Glad to hear you're getting support through your pregnancy. Did you have to ask to be referred to perinatal MH teams?

I'm sure you'll be able to keep the relapses at bay once you've got a beautiful bundle of joy to think of 🥰

Thank you; I told the midwife I saw at my booking appointment and she referred me.

I had severe anorexia for about six years. I was really worried, but conceived easily and remained healthy throughout pregnancy. At time I did experience some disordered thoughts, but focused on the thought that I wasn’t gaining weight, but growing a baby.

I did get some support from the natal mental health team. As soon as I mentioned that I had had depression and anorexia, my midwife offered to refer me. I was also offered additional midwife visits in the ten days after my children were born, just to monitor my mental state.

@mynameiscalypso Thank you for that. I know I am getting ahead of myself as i'm not even pregnant yet but I like to be prepared and know all the facts.

@Equimum That sounds positive - the extra visits in the 10 days PP sound like a great idea.