What is Pica? A Pregnancy-Related Eating Disorder

Common complications of pica include constipation, cramping, pain, and parasitic infection. The potential problems that you face are related to the type of pica you have. If you’re eating laundry starch, for example, you may end up with a high weight gain, but your baby will be malnourished (because starch has “empty calories,” which means it has no vitamins and minerals). Likewise, if your pica craving has you eating paper, this can lead to toxic poisoning.

Help for Pica

If you think you may have pica, you should contact your doctor immediately. There isn’t one cure-all pill to treat pica; treatment often involves a multi-disciplinary approach. Your OB/GYN will be able to help you manage your pica more effectively.

Pregnancy Pica

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