Experiences From Pregnancy and Post-partum Period in Women With a History of Eating Disorders.

NCT ID: NCT04815044

Last Updated: 2025-09-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 28 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-12-01
• Study Completion Date: 2025-04-08

Brief Summary

Women with the eating disorder bulimia nervosa (BN) have been found to have a higher risk of unplanned pregnancies than healthy women, and experience greater miscarriage, premature birth, birth complications, and postpartum depression. Other studies have found that women with eating disorders seem to find motivation to refrain from the eating disordered behavior for the sake of the fetus, but that it is highly different whether this gives sustained or only a temporary remission.

Eating disorders are rarely detected in the primary health care service, nor during pregnancy or during follow-up in fertility clinics. Meeting a health care provider in the pregnancy care service who does not know about the eating disorder or who does not understand the disease well enough, can also make the management and experience of pregnancy and weight gain extra difficult.

The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge on how women with a history of eating disorder experience their bodily changes, and how they experience the health service in pregnancy care and post-partum period.

Detailed Description

Women with the eating disorder bulimia nervosa (BN) have been found to have a higher risk of unplanned pregnancies than healthy women, and experience greater miscarriage, premature birth, birth complications, and postpartum depression. Having a disorder in which the overevaluation of the need to control body weight and food intake is pertinent, may cause a tremendous mental challenge to accept the bodily change through a pregnancy. Other studies have found that women with eating disorders seem to find motivation to refrain from the eating disordered behavior for the sake of the fetus, but that it is highly different whether this gives sustained or only a temporary remission.

Eating disorders are rarely detected in the primary health care service, nor during pregnancy or during follow-up in fertility clinics. Meeting a health care provider in the pregnancy care service who does not know about the eating disorder or who does not understand the disease well enough, can also make the management and experience of pregnancy and weight gain extra difficult.

The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge on how women with a hisory of eating disorders experience bodily changes through pregnancy, and how the pregnancy care service is experienced. The purpose of this data collection is to help design preparatory information for women with eating disorders who become pregnant, and to promote best practice guidelines for the health service in the meeting with, and follow-up of, pregnant women with a history of eating disorders.

Conditions

Pregnancy Related; Eating Disorders; Bulimia Nervosa; Binge-Eating Disorder; Post Partum Depression

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Women from the PED-t study

Women who participated in the PED-t study in 2016-2018 who report previous (or in future time) pregnancy.

Pregnancy

Intervention Type: OTHER

Experiences from being pregnant when having a history of eating disorder

Post-Partum

Intervention Type: OTHER

Experiences from the post-partum period when having a history of eating disorder

Interventions

Pregnancy

Experiences from being pregnant when having a history of eating disorder

Intervention Type: OTHER

Post-Partum

Experiences from the post-partum period when having a history of eating disorder

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• previous participant in the PED-t project
• previous/current diagnosis of bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder
• has accepted to take part in the long-term follow up study in the PED-t project
• has been/are pregnant

Exclusion Criteria

• not matching the above criteria

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 50 Years
• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Tromso

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Ostfold University College

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Therese Fostervold Mathisen

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Therese F Mathisen, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Østfold University College

Locations

Therese Fostervold Mathisen

Fredrikstad, Fredrikstad, Norway

Countries

Norway

Other Identifiers

120532

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id