It is not clear that patients volunteer information about pica, so it would be helpful if nurses queried patients at each prenatal visit regarding pica practice. Although this study did not show specific pregnancy complications associated with pica, other studies have shown anemia and lead poisoning among women who practice pica. Pica exists, and might be more common than healthcare providers assume. All in all, not much is known about pica. No specific pregnancy complication was associated with the practice of pica. This may include: pain, lack of bowel movements, bloating and/or distention of the abdomen, or change in bowel habits, not associated with pregnancy. Women reporting daily pica practice were significantly more likely to have lower prenatal hematocrits than women who did not practice pica, or who practiced pica less frequently than daily. Women practicing pica were more likely to have been underweight prior to pregnancy, and smoked fewer cigarettes. This is the most concerning and potentially lethal side effect of pica Eating non-food objects can interfere with eating healthy food, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Polypica (ingestion of more than one substance) was practiced by 11 women. Substances ingested included ice (>1 cup/day), freezer frost, laundry starch, cornstarch, clay dirt, and baked clay dirt. Symptoms of pica Pica symptoms are related to the nonfood item the person has eaten. For these women, pica often involves eating dirt and may be related to an iron and zinc deficiency. African-American women reported practicing pica more often than other ethnicities. On rare occasions, pregnant women crave strange, nonfood items.

Thirty-eight percent of these pregnant women practiced pica. Demographic and sociocultural variables, pica practices, pica substances ingested, and pregnancy outcomes were collected. Prospective, descriptive, correlational investigation with 128 women who sought prenatal care from two rural community health agencies. To discover the prevalence of pica, the documentation of pica on medical records, and any relationship of pica to pregnancy outcomes in rural socioeconomically disadvantaged pregnant women.

Pica syndrome during pregnancy