Objective: To examine the amount of weight women with eating disorders [anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED)] gained during pregnancy and to evaluate the adequacy of total weight gain.
Method: Data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study were used in a cross-sectional manner, n = 35,148. Descriptive statistics and Generalized Estimating Equations to calculate the relative risk estimates were employed.
Results: Mean gestational weight gain for the entire sample was 2.5 kg at 17.0-20.1 weeks gestation, 9.3 kg at 27.4-29.7 weeks gestation and 15.0 kg at delivery. Women with BN and BED gained significantly more weight on average than those with no eating disorders at each time point. Women with AN had a lower risk (AOR = 0.65 (0.24, 1.72) of gaining inadequately while women with BN and BED were more likely to gain excessively, AOR = 1.09 (1.01, 1.18) and 1.11 (1.08, 1.14), respectively.
Discussion: The pattern of weight gain identified for each eating disorder subtype may help explain the birth outcomes of women with eating disorders.
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