Eating Ice While Pregnant – Is it Safe?

Pregnancy brings a lot of interesting cravings with it. Some of the pregnancy cravings women have reported over time will surprise you because some of it isn’t even food. Yes, some women have cravings for entirely inedible things such as dirt or clay. One of the more popular cravings women experience during pregnancy is the need to chew on ice. If you find yourself sitting down and chewing on ice nonstop, don’t freak out, it is actually pretty normal.

The craving to chew ice is known as ‘pagophagia’. Most expecting mothers find themselves suffering from some level of pagophagia. You might mistake this as simple thirst at first, but pagophagia is often more the result of the mother’s hormones undergoing changes instead of thirst.

The Pros of Pagophagia

Pagophagia definitely results in intense cravings for chewing ice, but some of these cravings are actually the result of your body attempting to regulate some of its functions.

1. Morning Sickness
   Morning sickness isn’t caused by what you eat. It stems from hormonal changes that occur during the first trimester. Women having trouble keeping their food down may turn to ice because it is flavorless and odorless, making it more easily digestible.
2. Iron Deficiency
   A pica is a craving to eat food with zero nutritional value. Ice, dirt, glue, and other weird food cravings are types of pica. If you develop a pica while pregnant it can be signs of a larger iron deficiency. AT the very least, it is a type of eating disorder and deserves your doctor’s attention.
3. Reduces the Heat
   When you’re pregnant, your blood volume increases by just about 50%. The extra blood can make you feel hotter and can increase your metabolism. Chewing on some ice is a great way to lower the body’s temperature.

The Cons of Pagophagia

Pagophagia is pretty harmless for the most part. It only bears some monitoring to make sure you are not over doing things. If you find yourself chewing a lot of ice, make sure that you are still getting the proper amount of nutrition.