Anorexia Nervosa Essay

Anorexia Nervosa Essay

Anorexia nervosa is a complex eating disorder when someone is obsessed with the weight, the body shape and the amount of food eaten to the point of self starvation. It primarily affects adolescent girls and young women. It is considered rare among males (Mandy G. Katz, 2000). Anorexia nervosa has both short and long term consequences for the reproductive, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and skeletal systems (Blazej M Czekalski, 2013). Three major harmful consequences will be discussed here: endocrine mechanism of amenorrhea, osteoporosis, and fertility problems



One harmful consequence is an endocrine mechanism of amenorrhea. Amenorrhea is the absence of a menstrual period in a woman of reproductive age. A weight loss of 10% to 15% of normal ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...This is a disease characterised by low bone mass leading to an increased occurrence of fractures with minimal stress. Adolescence is the critical time for bone mineral accretion as more than half of the bone calcium in an individual is normally laid down during these years, with bone development continuing into the next decade of life. Failure to attain sufficient bone density during the adolescent years results in osteopenia which refers to a bone density of below the average for young adults and is a risk factor for osteoporosis (Mandy G. Katz, 2000).

Finally fertility problems and pregnancy complications are expected. This is due to a combination of anovulation and a rejection of sexual activity. Restricting anorexics are predominantly sexually passive. This may be due to their low self esteem but may also be due to reduced libido resulting from low concentrations of circulating sex hormones (Mandy G. Katz, 2000). As for pregnancy, findings suggest that women suffers from anorexia nervosa have more miscarriages, and also that the mean weight of their embryo is significantly lower. Furthermore, women with history of anorexia experience considerably more premature births and cesarean deliveries (Bulik cited at Deborah L. Finfgeld, p.181).

In conclusion, anorexia nervosa is a very dangerous eating disorder with severe implications. Apart from the implications discussed above, it can be life threatening causing brain damage, heart

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