Anorexics usually never have any obvious problems that you can point out by just looking at them, especially in the beginning of them starting the anorexia nervosa. Anorexic women are very proud of the weight that they have lost and often say that they need to lose even more weight. Many anorexic women are physically restless and some even exercise to help aid in their weight loss. Women who suffer from Anorexia Nervosa are often obsessed with food and will make high calorie meals for their family and friends and then themselves won’t eat the food they have prepared.
As women who suffer from anorexia nervosa, they will of course suffer from malnutrition from starving themselves. Symptoms of malnutrition start to become physically noticeable such as they are more fatigue, difficulty sleeping and stomach pain and bloating after eating. Skin then becomes dry, pale or even yellowed; lanugo may grow over the face and arms. They could become anemic and a low level of white blood cells is common.
When your anorexic the metabolism of your thyroid changes, which will slow your body’s metabolism and creates symptoms of hypothyroidism. Such symptoms of hypothyroidism are tolerance to cold, slowed heartbeat, blood pressure could fall, and sometimes life threatening cardiac arrhythmias may develop, and can sometimes result in death. Another symptom that women experience when they are anorexic are that they stop menstruating, and loss of menstrual cycle could persist even after weight has been regained, which can cause infertility.
For those who have not yet reached their menstrual cycle everything comes to a halt, such as skeletal growth, physical development and sexual maturation. Many of the changes that happen to the body as a result of being anorexic can be restored except the bone growth which may result in the girl not reaching her anticipated height. Women with anorexia nervosa loos quite a bit of bone mass, therefore any woman or girl that is or has been anorexic are at much greater risk for developing osteoporosis and many develop in their 20s.