Can eating disorders affect your fertility? | Reproclinic
Eating disorders

Can eating disorders affect your fertility?

 
By Reproclinic Editorial Committee
 

What impact do eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia have on fertility? Inadequate nutrition, either due to lack of nutrient intake or excess, can have important consequences on the functioning of your body, directly affecting your fertility. Keep reading!

 

 

What are eating disorders?

 

Alimentary behavior disorders include several diseases that are manifested through a certain behavior regarding the way we eat. Among its main symptoms are:

 

  • The distortion of the body self-image
  • The fear of gaining weight
  • Behaviors and values ​​linked to a certain body image.

 

According to Wikipedia, “a disorder of eating behavior is a disease caused by anxiety and by excessive concern about body weight and physical appearance, related to the alteration of common eating habits”

 

The two most well-known eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia, but they aren’t the only ones. Obsession with the body leads many women and men to extreme diets and even strenuous exercise routines. Vigorexia (behavior disorder that is characterized by the obsession of getting a muscular body) is a disorder that increases every year. Similarly, the prevalence of fatorexia (dysmorphophobia in which the affected, unlike in anorexia, has a distortion of its image with respect to its actual weight and is not aware of its overweight / obesity) is also increasing.

 

It is also important to emphasize that the same person may have several eating disorders; from fasting to excesses of food, the use of laxatives or other distorted behaviors.

 

Many times, these disordered diets tend to be linked to low self-esteem, frustrations, work or school stress, as well as unattainable social standards, such as stereotypes of current beauty.

 

Every eating disorder has health consequences. And hormonal disorders are not left behind.

 

 

 

How do eating disorders affect your reproductive health?

 

 

In general, eating disorders affect different aspects of metabolism such as weight or hormones but, individually, also greatly influences reproductive health. Numerous scientific studies have shown that food and fertility are closely linked and that poor nutrition can cause infertility.

 

Food has a great influence on fertility. Weight, both below normal and above, directly influences our hormones. In women, feeding influences the quality of the ovules and endometrium, as well as being the main source of nutrients during pregnancy. Also, there are studies that relate essential nutrients to the quality of sperm in men.

 

In addition to physical problems, who suffers from eating disorders, is often more prone to suffer stress, anxiety and depression. All these factors can hinder or prevent a successful pregnancy.

 

Among the main problems of fertility associated with eating disorders include:

  • Amenorrhea.
  • Irregular menstrual cycles.
  • Low quality of the ovules.
  • Miscarriages

 

ANOREXY

 

It is common for women suffering from anorexia to suffer from amenorrhea (absence of menstruation) and, therefore, can not ovulate on a regular basis. This can hinder or even prevent pregnancy.

 

In addition, women who suffer or have suffered anorexia and get pregnant, are subject to a number of risks during pregnancy such as:

 

  • Increased likelihood of premature delivery
  • Possibility that the baby is born with low weight
  • Possible delays in the growth of the baby
  • Increased risk of abortion
  • Possible respiratory problems at birth
  • Gestational diabetes

 

 

BULIMIA

 

Bulimia is another of the most frequent disorders. Those who suffer from it tend to overeat and vomit compulsively, and are also more prone to suffer high tension in pregnancy or preeclampsia. They also tend to have a greater predisposition to postpartum depression as well as have problems during breastfeeding.

 

 

What can I do?

 

Anyone who suffers or has suffered from eating disorders should seek psychological and medical help. The first step is to be aware that there is an eating disorder that affects your body negatively. The second step is to take actions to treat the disorders and to control their effects on the body. Following a healthy and balanced diet based on good eating habits is essential to boost your fertility to be able to get pregnant in the future.

 

Published by Dr Maria Arqué

Medical Director at Reproclinic
Specialist in Obstetrics/Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine

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Privacy policy

Before providing the information on this form, and pursuant to RGPD 2016/679, you must read and agree with these conditions on the protection of personal data, accepting and consenting to the processing of your data by Reproclinic sl (Reproclinic) using the methods and for the purposes indicated in this text, in the Data Protection Statement, Privacy Policy, and in the Legal Notice.

 

About your data

We inform you that your data will be included in a file managed by Reproclinic sl (Reproclinic) in order to reply to your request and send you the information you requested, as well as to send you commercial communications electronically on services that may be of interest to you..

By filling out this application form, you grant your unequivocal consent to Reproclinic sl (Reproclinic), which shall provide us with the legal basis for processing your personal information for the purposes listed in the previous paragraph.

Your information may be transferred to Prolonga Fertilidad sl (Fertty) or to companies with which it has business ties.

You may exercise your rights to Access, Rectify, Delete, Oppose the processing of, Erase, Limit and Portability of your data by writing to Reproclinic C / Ausiàs Marc 25, 08010 Barcelona (lopd@reproclinic.com).

Unless you inform us otherwise, we will assume that your details have not been modified, that you agree to notify us of any change thereto, and that we have your consent to process said details for the aforementioned purposes.