CON TEXT: Does my bump look big in this?

These days, women are under enormous pressure to live up to the thin and trim ideal of the female form, and it seems some will go to any lengths in pursuit of that size zero physique. Until recently, however, pregnancy gained women an automatic clemency – if you were expecting a baby, a certain amount of weight gain was expected, so pregnant women were exempt from the daily trudge on the treadmill or the tiresome calorie-counting.

A growing number of women, however, are now determined not to let even pregnancy interfere with their pursuit of skinniness. They want to ensure there’s not a single bulge showing besides the one on their tummy. And so they starve themselves and exercise to exhaustion to keep from gaining a single ounce during pregnancy. These extreme mums-to-be are suffering from a condition that has become known as pregorexia.

Why put yourself through the weight-loss wringer?

As usual, you can blame celebs for being bad role models. Images of “celebrity moms” looking rake-thin even while six months gone have spurred many ordinary women to emulate the emaciated appearance of their heroines. When women see celebs such as Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie without a pick on them during pregnancy, they feel pressurised to follow suit. After all, who isn’t flattered when someone says: “Six months? Why, you hardly look pregnant at all!”

When did this all start?

Pregorexia came on the radar in 2006 when former TV presenter Liz Fraser told Marie Clairemagazine about her struggle with bulimia during pregnancy. Over the past year, the mommyblogs have been buzzing with tales of pre-natal malnourishment, as women confessed to their obsessive undereating during a time when they needed to be getting the grub in. Last year, Prof John Morgan, university lecturer and head of the Yorkshire Centre for Eating Disorders, extimated that 1 in 20 pregnant women may suffer from an eating disorder.

So, they’re starving for two. Can’t be good for junior.

Indeed not. Embarking on an extreme weight-loss programme while pregnant can have disastrous consequences for the little one. Possible complications are said to include anaemia, attention deficit disorder and lower IQ.

Are they doing this out of vanity?

For many women, this is not just a whim. If someone has suffered from an eating disorder at any time during their life, the stress of pregnancy may reawaken that disorder. While the mum-to-be may be well aware of the possible damage she could be doing to herself and the baby, she may not be able to help herself. Not only that, but expectant mothers have been given mixed messages. In May, health officials in the US urged women to limit their weight gain during pregnancy. They estimated that up to 55 per cent of American women of childbearing age were either overweight or obese, and they urged women who were overweight at conception not to gain any more than 25lbs during pregnancy. But there’s a limit to limiting your weight gain, and pregorexic women have erred too much on the side of slim.

What can we do about this?

Like any other eating disorder, pregorexia is a complex condition – it’s not just related to diet, but also to a person’s mental health and self-image. If you think you may be suffering from pregorexia, you should see your doctor and discuss it. Just because it’s not an official medical term – yet – doesn’t mean it’s not a legitimate health threat.

Try at work: "OK, cancel the body double – the audience will never guess Angelina's pregnant."

Try at home:"It's role-reversal – she's out playing golf and tennis while I'm sitting around watching TV and eating chocolate."