It is estimated that a healthy weight gain during pregnancy is around 11-16 kilos, always depending on each woman. There are women who gain little weight during pregnancy and that is not a problem if you eat a healthy diet, but it is when being thin in pregnancy becomes an obsession.
Pregorexia, also known as anorexia of pregnancy, Happens when not getting fat is all that matters, even at the cost of eating an insufficient diet that could put the baby's health at risk and even cause his death.
The social pressure for the cult of the body (influenced by some famous women) has reached pregnant women to the point that some cannot assume the transformation of their image during pregnancy and have authentic terror to gain weight.
According to studies conducted in the United Kingdom, 7.6 percent of pregnant women had symptoms consistent with eating disorders and 23.4 percent were very concerned about their weight and shape.
Dieting in pregnancy is contraindicated, because when little is eaten, fat is burned and so-called ketone bodies are generated, which can reach the fetus, being toxic, and damaging the baby's nervous system.
It is clear that the pregnant woman does not need to eat for two, because her own metabolism allows her to extract more calories from food and conserve that additional energy without having to ingest more, but also not to go hungry during pregnancy. What you should do is follow a healthy and balanced diet, follow the doctor's recommendations and take the indicated vitamin supplements.
Serious consequences
Pregorexia has serious consequences for the pregnant woman and, above all, harmful for the baby. The mother can develop anemia, bone decalcification, low milk production during postpartum and hair loss, among others.
The consequences on the fetus can also be very serious. During the first trimester if the patient does not take vitamin supplements, the risk of alterations in the neural tube such as spina bifida increases. It also increases the rate of spontaneous abortion.
During the second and third trimesters the risk of premature delivery, intrauterine growth retardation, mental retardation or cerebral palsy, bone, digestive or cardiovascular malformations increases. In very severe cases, intrauterine death can be achieved.
