Why are Anorexics More Likely to Have Unplanned Pregnancies and Abortions?

Why are Anorexics More Likely to Have Unplanned Pregnancies and Abortions? | TIME Healthland: New research published in the November issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology that shows women with anorexia nervosa are far more likely to have unplanned pregnancies and abortions. Researchers studied 62,060 women who participated in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Just 62 women identified themselves as anorexic.

Half reported unplanned pregnancies, compared to 19% in the women without eating disorders; 24% of the anorexic women said they'd had an abortion, in comparison to 15% in the other group. The anorexic women were also younger than the other women when they delivered babies: 26.2 versus 29.9 years old.

“It wasn't just a subtle difference,” says Cynthia Bulik, the study's lead author. “It was really a whopping difference. We have got a public health message we've got to get out there.”

Editor: Is there also a link from abortion to anorexia?