Women's Views on News |
| Eating disorders in pregnancy undetected Posted: 03 Apr 2013 07:53 AM PDT
A recent survey of more than 700 pregnant women found that one in 14 women were highly concerned about weight gain from pregnancy. Two per cent of those questioned were found to fast, exercise excessively, induce vomiting and use laxatives to avoid gaining weight during their pregnancy. Pregorexia is a term that has recently been coined to describe a pregnant woman who is suffering from an eating disorder. The woman may be restricting, overexercising, bingeing or purging. Pregorexia can occur during pregnancy and after the birth of the child. Dr Nadia Micali, from the University College London (UCL) Institute of Child Health, said: "There is good evidence from our research that eating disorders in pregnancy can affect both the mother and the developing baby. "Greater awareness of eating disorders and their symptoms amongst antenatal health care professionals would help to better identify and manage such disorders amongst pregnant women.” Dr Abigail Easter, also from the UCL Institute of Child Health, added: "Women with eating disorders are often reluctant to disclose their illness to healthcare professionals, possibly due to a fear of stigma or fear that health services might respond in a negative way." The researchers are calling for healthcare professionals to screen women for eating disorders at their first antenatal appointment – although they do appreciate it may be difficult to diagnose. The symptoms of an eating disorder during pregnancy can be easily masked by commons reactions to pregnancy. Many women experience vomiting, especially in the early stages of pregnancy where pregorexia usually begins, and all women experience weight gain while pregnant. The researchers pointed out that women who have experienced eating disorders in the past are more likely to develop one during pregnancy, but it is now becoming more common for women to develop it without any history of suffering from eating disorders before becoming pregnant. Although it is a matter for debate whether celebrity culture is solely to blame for causing eating disorders, it clearly doesn't help. Sharon Zimbler, a marriage and family therapist, said: "Media and societal influences affect our ideas of what pregnancy should look like. "Unfortunately, we are inundated with images of very thin women barely gaining weight during pregnancy, only to find these same women losing their baby weight soon after the birth of their children." "Many women find themselves worried about losing their baby weight before they even have their babies." It probably comes as no surprise that eating disorders can cause numerous physical and psychological effects on both the mother and the unborn baby. "Doctors say that women with pregorexia are at risk for miscarriage and stillbirth," Sharon Zimbler adds. "Researchers say that babies born to pregorexic mothers can suffer from cognitive problems and learning disabilities."  |
| Posted: 03 Apr 2013 03:08 AM PDT
Football: There is not a single British team left in the men’s Champions League, so thank goodness the women are putting on a better show. Arsenal Ladies are through to their third Champions League semi-final in as many years after beating ASD Torres 4-1 on aggregate on March 27. Arsenal will next play Germany’s VfL Wolfsburg on April 13. A semi-final win could see them reach their first final since taking the trophy in 2007. Defender Alex Scott said, “It hasn’t been the greatest European season for the men so hopefully we can fly the flag and they can go on and get qualification for next year’s tournament. “But the final of the Champions League is being held at Stamford Bridge this year, so as an Arsenal team and a London club we are desperate to get to that final and win it in our home town.” Rugby: England’s rugby sevens team finished runners-up at the penultimate event in the Women’s Sevens World Series, held last week in Guangzhou, China. In the final on March 31, England were beaten 19-5 by New Zealand, who top the overall series standings. The final event of the series takes place in Amsterdam in May. England, who won the last event in Houston, Texas, are still in with a shout of winning the overall title, although New Zealand have a significant points cushion. Tennis: Laura Robson didn’t let her second round loss last week at the Miami Masters get to her. Along with Lisa Raymond, the 19 year-old reached the doubles final, overpowering world number one partnership Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-2 in less than an hour in their semi-final on March 29. Although Raymond and Robson eventually lost the title in straight sets to Nadia Petrova and Katarina Srebotnik, their run to the final was one of the stories of the tournament. After the final, Robson confirmed that the two will continue their “Team Robmond” partnership, including playing together at Wimbledon in June. And with Andy Murray’s singles win and promotion to world number two, it has been another good week for British tennis. And I’ll never tire of typing that. Meanwhile, Heather Watson has pulled out of this week’s tournament in Charleston, South Carolina, citing a leg injury. She plans to return in time for Great Britain’s Fed Cup tie against Argentina on April 20. With just 12 ranking points separating the two, Robson could overtake Watson as British number one during the tournament. Rowing: Unsurprisingly, Oxford’s win by two boat lengths over Cambridge in last week’s women’s boat race received significantly less attention than the men’s. But within the next few years, that could change. Since September 2012, women have also received equal funding, ending the bizarre situation of women paying upwards of £1600 each for equipment and travel. The women’s race is currently held on Dorney Lake in Buckinghamshire. But from 2015, it will take place on the same Thames course as the men’s, and will receive BBC coverage.  |
| Posted: 03 Apr 2013 01:09 AM PDT
Join tens of thousands of people worldwide using chalk, posters, street theatre, rallies and marches to reclaim public spaces. Most women (more than 80 per cent worldwide) and LGBQT folks will face gender-based street harassment – ranging from catcalls, sexually explicit comments, sexist remarks, groping, leering and stalking, to public masturbation, and assault – at some point in their life. Yet many people continue to downplay its seriousness. They may say, "I don't see it, so it must not be a problem," or "You're over-reacting, find something else to complain about," or "With the way girls dress these days, what do you expect?" or "Stay home or put a bag over your head if you don't like it," or, "One person's flirting is another person's harassment." Seriously, these are things people say. But street harassment limits people’s mobility and access to public spaces. It is a form of gender violence and it’s a human rights violation. It needs to stop. International Anti-Street Harassment Week is a programme from Stop Street Harassment. Its purpose is to raise awareness about street harassment through active engagement and amplification. It is held in April because April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the USA and springtime in the Northern Hemisphere. While street harassment occurs year-round, spring is a time when there is an increase in the harassment because of the increased daylight hours and warmer weather that brings people outside. Street harassment is often seen as an inevitable part of the change in seasons, but it shouldn't be. Spring is no excuse for street harassment. And we don’t like it. On March 20, 2011, after only a month of planning, more than 2,000 people from at least 13 countries participated in International Anti-Street Harassment Day. In 2012, it was expanded into a week, and more than 100 groups from over 20 countries co-sponsored the week and tens thousands of people participated Want to join in this year? Want to go to an event? On the website there are listings of events taking place around the world. Want to conduct a survey on street harassment? There are tips to show you how. Not sure what you want to do? There is a whole page full of ideas from street theatre to poster campaigns to pavement chalk! On the tools page, there is a myriad of content you can use during the week: there are blank fliers that you can use to write a message on, bystander posters, logos and even pre-made fliers you can give out. Participating can even be as easy as raising awareness about street harassment to your followers on Twitter or your friends on Facebook. It's amazing how a little awareness can go a long, long, long way. If you are posting to twitter, use the tag #EndSHWeek or #EndSH. On Facebook, you can also change your profile picture to an image related to ending street harassment which can be found here. The 2012 week was a great success. The Internet, the streets, the classrooms swelled with discussions, messages, stories, and reclamations of public spaces during Meet Us on the Street 2012. More than 100 groups from 21 countries and 5 continents participated, as did tens of thousands of individuals. Read a wrap-up report about the week and view images. Then join us in 2013.  |
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