Researchers have said that pregnant women with eating disorders could be better supported if midwives and health officials were better equipped to tackle such issues. According to analysts at King’s College London (KCL), pregnancy is a "unique opportunity" to support and engage with women with eating disorders because they are at "a life stage during which they may be motivated to change behaviours and when they will have regular contact with health professionals."
The Huffington Post UK reports the 7.5% of women in the UK suffer from an eating disorder during pregnancy and explained that that KCL worked with women who have lived with this experience, the Institute of Health Visiting, NCT (National Childbirth Trust) and other charities, to come up with a new awareness campaign to offer better support resources to those affected, including the video below:
The animation aims to raise awareness emphasising that eating disorders are serious mental illnesses, which can impact on pregnancy and beyond, and it highlights the importance of a trusting relationship between women suffering from eating disorders and healthcare professionals. It includes sketches of women discussing how they felt during their pregnancies.
It was launched to mark the start of Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2018.
“Women with eating disorders are often reluctant to disclose their illness to healthcare professionals, possibly due to a fear of stigma, and healthcare professionals may be unsure about how to identify women with eating disorders or what support they need,” said Dr Abigail Easter, senior postdoctoral fellow in improvement science at King’s College London.
As well as the above video, guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2017) includes recommendations for enhanced monitoring and support for women with eating disorders before, during and after pregnancy.
