Eating disorders postpone pregnancy

A study of 11,000 women has found that women with a history of anorexia or bulimia are more likely to struggle to fall pregnant than women with no history of eating disorder.

The study, conducted by researchers at King's College London and University College London, found that 39.9 percent of women with a history of eating disorders took longer than six months to conceive, while around 25 percent of the general population require so long.

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In addition, 6.2 percent of women with eating disorders required fertility treatment, compared with only 2.7 percent of the general population.

However, researchers noted that after six months pregnancy rates for women with eating disorders fell in line with the general population’s.

The study is featured in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.