Regular Article

Birth outcomes in women with eating disorders in the Norwegian Mother and Child cohort study (MoBa)

  1. Cynthia M. Bulik PhD1,2,*,
  2. Ann Von Holle MS1,
  3. Anna Maria Siega-Riz PhD, RD2,3,
  4. Leila Torgersen PhD4,
  5. Kari Kveim Lie MD5,
  6. Robert M. Hamer PhD1,6,
  7. Cecilie Knoph Berg MA4,
  8. Patrick Sullivan MD, FRANZCP1,7,
  9. Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud MD4,8,9

Article first published online: 21 AUG 2008

DOI: 10.1002/eat.20578

Issue

International Journal of Eating Disorders

International Journal of Eating Disorders

Volume 42, Issue 1, pages 9–18, January 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

Bulik, C. M., Von Holle, A., Siega-Riz, A. M., Torgersen, L., Lie, K. K., Hamer, R. M., Berg, C. K., Sullivan, P. and Reichborn-Kjennerud, T. (2009), Birth outcomes in women with eating disorders in the Norwegian Mother and Child cohort study (MoBa). Int. J. Eat. Disord., 42: 9–18. doi: 10.1002/eat.20578

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina

  2. 2

    Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina

  3. 3

    Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina

  4. 4

    Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway

  5. 5

    Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway

  6. 6

    Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina

  7. 7

    Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina

  8. 8

    Department of Psychiatry, University of Oslo, Norway

  9. 9

    Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, New York

*Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 101 Manning Drive, CB #7160, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7160

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 9 DEC 2008
  2. Article first published online: 21 AUG 2008
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 14 JUN 2008

Funded by

  • National Institutes of Health. Grant Numbers: HD047186, ES85433, NS047537
  • Norwegian Ministry of Health. Grant Number: 15191/S10
  • Norwegian Research Council/FUGE

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Keywords:

  • bulimia nervosa;
  • anorexia nervosa;
  • pregnancy;
  • EDNOS;
  • binge eating disorder

Abstract

Objective

We explored the impact of eating disorders on birth outcomes in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study.

Method

Of 35,929 pregnant women, 35 reported broad anorexia nervosa (AN), 304 bulimia nervosa (BN), 1,812 binge eating disorder (BED), and 36 EDNOS-purging type (EDNOS-P) in the six months before or during pregnancy. The referent comprised 33,742 women with no eating disorder.

Results

Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) was lower in AN and higher in BED than the referent. AN, BN, and BED mothers reported greater gestational weight gain, and smoking was elevated in all eating disorder groups. BED mothers had higher birth weight babies, lower risk of small for gestational age, and higher risk of large for gestational age and cesarean section than the referent. Pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain attenuated the effects.

Conclusion

BED influences birth outcomes either directly or via higher maternal weight and gestational weight gain. The absence of differences in AN and EDNOS-P may reflect small numbers and lesser severity in population samples. Adequate gestational weight gain in AN may mitigate against adverse birth outcomes. Detecting eating disorders in pregnancy could identify modifiable factors (e.g., high gestational weight gain, binge eating, and smoking) that influence birth outcomes. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2009

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