title: Prenatal and perinatal factors in eating disorders: a descriptive review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this descriptive review is to summarize the current scientific evidence on various prenatal and perinatal exposures affecting later development of eating disorders among offspring.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies were searched from PubMed database with the following keywords: eating disorders and disordered eating and anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder and prenatal exposure delayed effects and maternal exposure and perinatology. A comprehensive manual search, including search from the reference list of included articles, was also performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The attributable risk for prenatal and perinatal factors in anorexia nervosa (AN) is 3.6%. Numerous prenatal and perinatal factors have been associated with offspring AN, but only prematurity has been replicated in different samples. The risk of bulimia nervosa (BN) in offspring has attracted less study, and despite varying positive associations, there are no replicated findings. Higher prenatal testosterone may protect against the development of a range of disordered eating symptoms, although studies are not consistent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evidence in support of an effect of prenatal and perinatal factors on eating disorders or disordered eating in offspring is conflicting. If present, the overall effect appears to be relatively small, and it is likely that the early risk factors operate in conjunction with other biological, genetic, and/or environmental risk factors to bring on eating pathology. Genetically sensitive designs, such as sibling and twin studies, are needed to disentangle the different types of risk factors and ensure that prenatal/perinatal effects are "causal" rather than indications of genetic risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Hjelt Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland; Child Psychiatry Research Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Department of Adolescent Psychiatry, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Anu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raevuori
authors.forename: Milla S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Linna
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keski-Rahkonen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000196:embryology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases; D008423:Maternal Age; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones
keywords: anorexia nervosa; binge eating disorder; bulimia nervosa; disordered eating; eating disorders; maternal exposure; perinatology; prenatal exposure delayed effects; review