We have all heard the stereotype of the pregnant woman who sends her husband to the all-night grocery at 3 AM for pickles and ice cream. While this portrayal is, for the most part, unrealistic, it is true that pregnancy does cause sometime cause cravings.

Some nutritionists suspect that cravings are a body's way of telling you that you are not getting enough of some sort of nutrient or another. A craving for milk, for example, might be your body's way of telling you that you are low on calcium. Other reaserchers suggest that cravings during pregnancy may be hormone related, and that many women also have cravings during diggerent stages of their monthly cycle. Other experts suggest that cravings for food of any type represent an unmet emotional, rather than physical need.

Research suggests that 85% of pregnant women report having a food craving of some sort during pregnancy. These cravings, however, can vary greatly from woman to woman and from day to day. One woman, for example, might crave sour things like pickles, while another may crave sweets. Research is not conclusive as ar as when the cravings take place during pregnancy, either; often, you may not have these cravings until long after your pregnancy has been detected by more traditional means.

Sometimes women crave things during pregnancy that are not particularly healthy, or even downright harmful. Women have been reported craving everything from laundry soap to cigarette butts. This cindition is known as pica. Pica is a condition in which a person craves non-food items that have little or no nutritional value. Pica has been ties to deficiencies in the body, such as low iron. When the nutritional deficiency is corrected, pica tends to disappear.

So, while cravings can be a sign of pregnancy, thay can also be a sign of something else. If you or someone you know is experiencing prolonged cravings or cravings for non-food items with little or no nutritional value, you should contact your health care provider immediately.

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For me personally they are not, I have cravings all the time, but it wasn't until after having my babies that I had these craving spells.

Cravings are always a sure sign of pregnancy for me- I haven't had a pregnancy yet that didn't include some odd cravings!

Dont u guys think its because of the nausea that we crave for food, i mean when not pregnant also u do have desires to eat specific stuffs. We tend to pay more attention to what we want to eat coz of those birthmarks tales. Anyone really had those?