Pregnancy weight gain is bittersweet – not exactly fun to get on the scale each month, but a hallmark of a healthy baby. For some women, pregnancy is made harder by the history of an eating disorder. The heated focus on food and exercise can fuel a dormant fire.

Once a pregnancy is discovered, it is imperative to get eating disorder symptoms under control. Studies suggest that starving or purging during pregnancy increase health risks such as miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, births with complications (including Cesarean deliveries), premature births and delayed fetal growth.

Eve Collins* had been in recovery from bulimia for five years when she got pregnant and is grateful she had treatment first. "I can't imagine how it would feel to be caught in the tornado of an eating disorder and be pregnant at the same time," she says. "I would feel worried about the baby, but I know it is impossible to stop on your own."

Health risks for women in recovery from an eating disorder are similar to women who have never had one. They face many of the same issues as other women, but also grapple with gaining weight without resorting to disorder behavior.

The first trimester can be the most trying for a woman in recovery, now expected to eat healthy all the time. Some women get pregnant hoping that it will force better eating habits. They may get lucky as Angela Fallon* did. She is currently 16 weeks pregnant and has found that compulsive overeating is not an issue. "I can't overeat to the extent I used to – I'm either not interested or there isn't room," she says. Fallon's purging was under control with private therapy before getting pregnant.

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.