Why Loss of Bodily Control During Pregnancy Can Trigger Eating Disorders
Pregnancy requires a level of bodily surrender that many people have never experienced before. Your body changes shape, appetite shifts, hunger cues fluctuate, and medical professionals monitor weight, bloodwork, and physical function closely.
For some, this feels manageable. For others, especially those with a history of eating disorders, trauma, or control based coping strategies, the loss of bodily control can be deeply unsettling.
Pregnancy Changes the Relationship With Control
Eating disorders are often misunderstood as being about food or appearance. At their core, they are frequently about control, safety, and predictability.
Pregnancy disrupts these systems. Weight gain is expected rather than optional. Hunger may arrive suddenly or feel unfamiliar. Physical sensations intensify. The body no longer feels fully owned.
When control over the body feels lost, eating behaviors can become a way to restore a sense of order or safety.
Medical Monitoring Can Be Both Protective and Triggering
Regular weigh ins, measurements, and health checks are a normal part of prenatal care. While medically important, they can also heighten self surveillance and body awareness.
For someone with eating disorder vulnerability, this attention can reactivate old patterns of comparison, fear, or self criticism. Even when providers are supportive, the experience of being monitored can feel exposing.
This does not mean prenatal care is wrong. It means the emotional impact deserves attention.
Nervous System Responses Matter
Loss of bodily control often activates the nervous system. For some, pregnancy triggers a state of chronic vigilance or anxiety. For others, it brings feelings of helplessness or dissociation.
Eating disorder behaviors can function as nervous system regulation. Restriction may create numbness. Rules may offer predictability. Binge eating may provide temporary relief from overwhelm.
These responses are not conscious choices. They are survival strategies shaped by past experiences.
When Past Experiences Resurface
Pregnancy can reactivate memories of earlier bodily experiences, including trauma, illness, or prior eating disorder recovery. Sensations such as nausea, fullness, or body expansion can feel unsafe rather than neutral.
Even individuals who have been stable for years may notice old thoughts returning. This does not mean recovery has failed. It often means a new context has activated old wiring.
Support Can Focus on Safety Rather Than Control
Treatment during pregnancy often works best when it focuses on restoring a sense of safety rather than forcing control away.
This can include gentle nutritional support, therapy that addresses anxiety and bodily trust, and care that respects autonomy while ensuring health.
Learning to relate to the body as something that deserves care rather than control is a gradual process. Pregnancy can be a place where that work deepens rather than derails.
About Moha and Eating Disorder Counselling
Hi, I’m Moha. I am a trauma-informed therapist who specializes in working with eating disorders and body image. We live in a world that is saturated with messages about what our bodies are supposed to look like. We are told that if we look a certain way, we can finally be “enough”. As someone with lived experience of an eating disorder, I know all too well that it is never just about food; rather it is about wanting to feel loved and safe, wanting to control something in an otherwise chaotic world, or wanting to finally feel like you are enough.
Before I was a therapist, I volunteered at the Looking Glass Foundation for Eating Disorders. Here, I directly connected with individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and sexual orientations, and learned that while our journeys may look different, our core struggles remain the need. We all want to feel seen and secure. Whether you’re wanting to make peace with food, finally giving up on dieting, or learning to accept yourself as you are, I promise to take this path together with you. From someone who has been there, recovery is possible.
I also acknowledge that we live in a fatphobic world. Intersecting identities and systems of oppression can make it even more challenging to focus on recovery for folks of colour who are in larger bodies. Together, we will equip you with tools to take care of yourself, and continue to live your life to the fullest. I operate from a Health-At-Every-Size, fat-positive, and body-neutral lens.
I offer a free 15-minute consultation to answer any questions about my process and to see if we might be a good fit!
