Are you pregnant and craving non-food items? Find out more about the syndrome that causes your bizarre cravings.

If you crave nonfood items such as clay, cornstarch, laundry starch, or coffee grounds, your doctor needs to know immediately. This is a condition called pica, and it can cause serious health complications for both you and your baby.

The word pica is Latin for magpie which is a bird notorious for eating almost anything.  The most common substances craved during pregnancy are dirt, clay, and laundry starch. Other pica cravings include: burnt matches, stones, charcoal, mothballs, ice, cornstarch, toothpaste, soap, sand, plaster, coffee grounds, baking soda, and cigarette ashes.

Complications of Pica

• Lead Poisoning: Eating substances that contain lead, such as soil, clay, or paint, could lead to lead poisoning, which can seriously harm both you and your baby, and can even result in death.
• Bowel Obstruction: Eating non-food items, especially rocks, hair, and dirt, can cause your bowel to become obstructed. This can lead to severe constipation, bowel inflammation, and infection.
• Parasite Infection: Items from the earth, including clay, soil, and grass, can be home to parasites. When you ingest these items, parasites can then infect your gastrointestinal tract causing pain, weight loss, and other side effects.
• Dental Injury: Your teeth were not made to process non-food items. Hard substances like rocks, clay, and ice can cause serious damage to your teeth, and you may experience broken and fractured teeth.

Effects of Pica on Your Baby

Unfortunately, pica cravings can cause serious harm to your baby. Eating non-food items can actually prevent your body from absorbing the proper minerals and nutrients. This could mean that your baby is not receiving the proper nutrition, increasing his risk for a variety of complications, including low birth weight, preterm labor, and stillbirth.

Get help

Don’t panic; it happens and is not abnormal. The most important thing is to inform your health care provider to make sure you have a complete understanding of the specific risks associated with your cravings. Here are some suggestions to help you deal with pica cravings:

• Inform your health care provider and review your prenatal health records.
• Monitor your iron status along with other vitamin and mineral intake.
• Consider potential substitutes for the cravings such as chewing sugarless gum.
• Inform a friend of your craving who can help you avoid non-food items.

Treatment for pica usually includes:

• nutritional supplements
• medications to control cravings, stress, or depression
• psychological counseling
• behavior therapy

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