ETV Bharat / healthWhen Fear Of Weight Gain Overshadows MotherhoodPregnancy is often portrayed as a period of changing moods and bodies.
The physical changes can make some women feel they are losing control over their bodies, triggering anxiety about weight gain and eating.
Others may continue to gain weight within the expected pregnancy range despite inadequate nutrition, making the problem harder to spot,” she said.
Warning signs include unusual changes in weight gain, severe food restriction, avoiding certain food groups, frequent body checking, nutritional deficiencies, anxiety around food and weight, intense exercise and repeated purging.
Occasional concern about body image and weight can be normal, but a serious fear of gaining weight requires further assessment.
ETV Bharat / health
When Fear Of Weight Gain Overshadows Motherhood
Pregnancy is often portrayed as a period of changing moods and bodies. But for some, the growing bump and emotional uncertainties trigger fear, guilt and an urge to regain control.
For Shobha (name changed), a Gurugram woman, that anxiety began as she struggled to accept the changes during pregnancy. Afraid that she would not return to her pre-pregnancy shape and mood, she started changing her daily habits: eating less, avoiding certain foods and feeling that she needed to exercise more to control her weight.
Food gradually became a source of guilt for her. She constantly worried about whether she had eaten something she should not have. At times, she hid her concerns and eating habits from her family, fearing that they would judge or misunderstand her. Eating too little left her tired and low on energy, while constant thoughts about her body began affecting her mood and relationships.
“I missed out on enjoying parts of my pregnancy because I was so focused on my weight,” she said. “It was only when I realised that these thoughts were becoming difficult to control and were taking away from my happiness that I decided to seek help.”
Dr Jothi Neeraja, Founder, Chairperson and MD, Maarga Mind Care, said pregnancy could bring previously hidden concerns about food, weight and body image to the surface. The physical changes can make some women feel they are losing control over their bodies, triggering anxiety about weight gain and eating.
Representational Image (File/ANI)
“Pregnancy can also act as a catalyst for an eating disorder to develop for the first time, particularly among women with a history of body-image concerns, anxiety, perfectionism, low self-esteem or excessive dieting,” she said.
Dr Neeraja describes the condition as “guilt after eating”, which often manifests as pressure to maintain a particular body shape, and excessive exercise can further fuel disordered eating.
Identifying the hidden warning signs
Eating disorders and disordered eating during pregnancy may be more common than recognised because women often do not talk about them openly, said Dr Sowmya K N, Senior Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Gleneagles BGS Hospital, Bengaluru.
“Some women may severely restrict food or exercise intensely. Others may continue to gain weight within the expected pregnancy range despite inadequate nutrition, making the problem harder to spot,” she said.
Warning signs include unusual changes in weight gain, severe food restriction, avoiding certain food groups, frequent body checking, nutritional deficiencies, anxiety around food and weight, intense exercise and repeated purging.
Dr Sowmya said that the crucial distinction was the level of distress and the behaviour involved. Occasional concern about body image and weight can be normal, but a serious fear of gaining weight requires further assessment.
Supporting this perspective, Dr Neeraja said that pregnancy could make these signs particularly difficult to identify because appetite, eating patterns and body weight naturally change.
