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Eating Disorders Across the Life-Span: From Menstruation to Menopause

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Women's Reproductive Mental Health Across the Lifespan

Abstract

Biological susceptibility to eating psychopathology influences the onset, course, and maintenance of eating disorders across the life-span. Consequently, a developmental lens is imperative to understand the expression of eating disorders and to identify key risk factors and windows for prevention for women at each stage of life. As early as puberty, the associated neuroendocrine changes that occur may trigger expression of an eating disorder for those with a genetic predisposition. Subsequently, this has a potentially deleterious effect on later reproductive physical and mental health. Eating disorders often impact pregnancy and birth outcomes as well as increase vulnerability to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Additionally, perinatal issues such as anxiety, weight retention, and difficulty with child feeding can have an intergenerational effect, increasing the risk of onset in successive generations. This chapter explores the dynamic interplay between women’s physical development, eating disorder symptoms, and overall mental health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Stephanie Zerwas Ph.D.

  2. Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA

    Elizabeth Claydon M.P.H.

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  1. Stephanie Zerwas Ph.D.
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  2. Elizabeth Claydon M.P.H.
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Correspondence to Stephanie Zerwas Ph.D. .

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  1. The Center for Postpartum Health, Sherman Oaks, California, USA

    Diana Lynn Barnes

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Zerwas, S., Claydon, E. (2014). Eating Disorders Across the Life-Span: From Menstruation to Menopause. In: Barnes, D. (eds) Women's Reproductive Mental Health Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05116-1_13

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