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

Experiences From Pregnancy and Post-partum Period, and Health Outcomes for Mother and Child, in Women With a History of Eating Disorders.

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Binge-Eating Disorder; Bulimia Nervosa; Pregnancy Related; Post Partum Depression; Eating Disorders
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Pregnancy; Other: Post-Partum

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.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 28

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Norway
  • Fredrikstad
    • Fredrikstad, Fredrikstad, Norway, 1671
      • Therese Fostervold Mathisen

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 50 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Qualifying women are those who during 2016-2018 participated in the treatment project "PED-t", in which women with bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder received PED-t or cogntive behavior therapy as treatment for their eating disorder.

Description

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

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
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.	Other: Pregnancy; Experiences from being pregnant when having a history of eating disorder; Other: Post-Partum; Experiences from the post-partum period when having a history of eating disorder

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Experiences of bodily changes in pregnancy and post-partum period	What are the experiences of bodily changes in pregnancy and post-partum period in women with a history of eating disorders? (semistructured interviews)	January 2021 - December 2026
Experiences with pregnancy health care- and post-partum service	What are the experiences of pregnancy health care service in women with a history of eating disorders? (semistructured interviews)	January 2021 - December 2026
Quality of prenatal care	Questionnaire rating (Likert scale 0, don't agree - 5, totaly agree) different aspects in the prenatal care service	January 2021 - December 2026

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Current symptoms of eating disorders	Measuring current symptoms of eating disorders at time of interview. Using the eating disorder examination questionnaire by Fairburn.	January 2021 - December 2026
Current symptoms of depression	Measuring current symptoms of depression at time of interview. Using the Beck Depression inventory.	January 2021 - December 2026
Planning of pregnancy	Number of pregnancy that was (un)planned, and whether the female was using hormonal contraceptives at time of conception.	January 2021 - December 2026
Help in becoming pregnant	Number of women in need of fertility assistance/treatment	January 2021 - December 2026
Supplementation and drugs during pregnancy	Number of women who regularly consumed tobacco/were smoking, drank alcohol, or used prescribed drugs during pregnancy	January 2021 - December 2026
Body weight during pregnancy	Change in body weight during pregnancy	January 2021 - December 2026
Blood pressure in pregnancy	Change in blood pressure during pregnancy	January 2021 - December 2026
Fetus heart rate	Change in fetus heart rate during pregnancy	January 2021 - December 2026
Symphysis measure	Change in symphysis measure during pregnancy	January 2021 - December 2026
Frequency and type of pregnancy complication	Numbers experiences different pregnancy complications (chosing from a list of alternatives: abortion, bleedings, edema, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, pelvic pain)	January 2021 - December 2026
Birth delivery method	Frequency of different birth delivery methods	January 2021 - December 2026

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Exercise in pregnancy, frequency	Change in exercise frequency during pregnancy	January 2021 - December 2026
Exercise in pregnancy, intensity	Change in exercise intensity during pregnancy	January 2021 - December 2026
Exercise in pregnancy, activity type	Type of physical activity during pregnancy	January 2021 - December 2026

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ostfold University College
• Collaborators: University of Tromso; Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Therese F Mathisen, PhD, Østfold University College

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 8, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): April 8, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 22, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 22, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): March 24, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 12, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 7, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Urogenital Diseases; Mental Disorders; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Pregnancy Complications; Mood Disorders; Puerperal Disorders; Depressive Disorder; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Depression, Postpartum; Binge-Eating Disorder; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Bulimia Nervosa; Reproduction; Reproductive Physiological Phenomena; Reproductive and Urinary Physiological Phenomena; Pregnancy; Postpartum Period
• Other Study ID Numbers: 120532

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Data will be held within the research group

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No