Description

What makes pregnant women crave pickles and ice cream? See if this question can stump Dr. Charlotte Grayson.

Transcript

Hey Doc, how come pregnant women have such weird food cravings? Dr. Charlotte Grayson: You've got me on this one. I'm stumped. We aren't exactly sure what causes food cravings during pregnancy but we have an idea; cravings probably have to do with changing hormonal levels. Those hormonal seesaws can make you long for sardines and peanut butter one minute. It may totally grow stout by the sight of scrambled eggs the next. Usually food cravings are nothing to worry about, but a small number of pregnant women crave non-foods like laundry starch, chalk or dirt. It's called pica, and it can be really dangerous to both mother and baby. If you've been eating healthily during your pregnancy, and you suddenly crave something unusual as long as it's food, don't worry about giving into it. When else in your life can you get away with eating pickles and ice-cream? If you think you can stump me, go to our website, everwell.com and send us a question. With Stump the Doc, I'm Dr. Charlotte Grayson.