Strange cravings are common during pregnancy. Everyone’s heard about the Ice Cream and Pickles phenomenon. It’s completely normal and except for grossing out one’s friends, completely harmless. Sometimes, however, pregnant women get Pica, which can be harmful to both the woman and baby. Having the facts can help both to prevent and properly treat it, so here is everything you need to know about Pica and its prevention. Please note, that this is not intended to diagnose any illness or condition and women who think they might be suffering from Pica are advised to see their physicians.
What is Pica? Pica is a compulsive eating disorder in which a person craves non-edible items. It could be anything from paint chips to cigarette butts. Pica is actually most commonly seen in children, especially ones with developmental delays. When it happens to pregnant women, it is usually in the first or second trimester, lasts more than a month, and goes away after labor and delivery. In rare cases, cravings can persist after delivery. The only symptom is craving non-edible items.
How And Why Does Someone Get Pica? As of yet, no one is quite sure how or why certain women get Pica during pregnancy. There are, however, certain trends. Women under twenty years of age, women experiencing their first pregnancy, and women who have had a previous episode of Pica during their childhood are most likely to develop Pica during pregnancy. Studies have also shown women with nutritional deficiencies and women with high levels of stress or those who’ve experienced severe psychological trauma tended to develop Pica more frequently than women without those things.
Is Pica Harmful? Unfortunately, Pica can be very dangerous for both the expectant mother and her baby. One of the most common problems is a lack of nutrients. Non-edibles tend not to have a lot of nutrients. That means her and her baby wouldn’t be getting the nutrients needed for fetal growth and development and a healthy pregnancy. That increases the likelihood of premature birth and even still birth. Another issue with Pica is that many non-edibles contain lead. Constant ingestion of these items can lead to lead poisoning, which is very serious and can even be fatal.
How Do You Treat/Prevent Pica The cause of Pica is hardly clear so there is no definitive treatment plan. There are a variety of things one can do, however, to prevent Pica, or to treat Pica, if they already have it. Monitoring your nutritional intake is one of them. Pica can be a sign of nutritional deficiency so making sure you’re getting enough nutrients and/or increasing them as necessitated by your physician will definitely help treat or prevent Pica. Making sure you have and keep a low stress level during pregnancy will also help prevent Pica. If you develop Pica after a high stress or traumatizing event, seeing a psychologist or therapist may help in treating it. If you already have Pica, additional things like keeping gum handy to chew whenever you feel cravings or alerting a friend so they can keep an eye out will definitely help make sure you don’t give into your Pica and have a healthy pregnancy for both you and baby.
Sources
Diseases 4th Ed. – Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
