Dr Eli Silver, Naturopathic Fertility and Pediatrics
  • Dr Silver
    • Testimonials
    • FAQ
  • Fertility Support
    • Nutrition and Fertility
    • Male Factor Infertility
    • Natural IVF Support
    • LGBTQ Fertility
  • Kids' Health
    • Diet and Nutrition
    • Vaccines and Vaccine Alternatives
    • Allergies and Eczema
    • PANS/PANDAS, ADHD, and Down Syndrome
  • Homeopathy
    • Virtual Visits
  • Our Office
    • Contact Dr Silver
    • Make an Appointment
    • Hours and Directions
    • Resources
  • Health News

Why Do You Crave Ice During Pregnancy?

6/24/2016

0 Comments

 

Why Do You Crave Ice During Pregnancy?

Picture
Pagophagia is a fancy medical term that simply means “ice eating.” Lots and lots of people find that they end up craving ice during pregnancy, and may get into the habit of chewing on ice all day long. What causes this bizarre craving?​

The truth is that we don’t know exactly why so many people crave ice during pregnancy, but many people develop pagophagia when they become deficient in iron. And, as you may already know, iron deficiency anemia is very common in pregnancy (up to 25% of people become anemic at some point in their pregnancy). 

Anemia in Pregnancy

Why might pregnancy cause you to become anemic? There are two main reasons: ​
1. During pregnancy, blood plasma (the fluid part of your blood) increases rapidly, while blood cell count (the amount of actual blood cells floating around in that fluid) rises more slowly. That means that for a period you have more blood in your body, but that blood is more “watered down” in the sense that there are less blood cells per ml of blood. This isn’t iron-deficient anemia per se, but it is a sort of functional anemia.​​
2. Your growing baby needs a ton of iron, the placenta needs a ton of iron, and newly minted red blood cells need their share of iron as well. All in all, that means the body's overall iron demand skyrockets during pregnancy.
Picture

Ok, But... Why Ice??

So... why does having an deficiency in iron cause people to crave ice? It’s not like ice is a good source of iron, after all. Here are a few of the most current theories on this question:

Theory number one: Ice is stimulating, which people with anemia crave because one of their most common symptoms is fatigue. There is a phenomenon called the “dive reflex,” in which blood is shunted away from your outer body and toward your brain and heart when your face is hit with cold water (this may explain the invigorating effects of a “polar bear plunge”). More water to the brain means more alertness and mental energy.
Theory number two: Because anemia can cause tenderness and inflammation in the mouth, people who are anemic may crave ice to numb out this tenderness.​

Theory number three: Being anemic can cause stress, which can trigger compulsive behavior. This may be the most underdeveloped of the current theories on pagophagia in pregnancy: essentially saying that eating ice during pregnancy is a form of addiction. While it’s true that some people do develop addictive behavior around ice eating in pregnancy (such as attempting and being unable to stop, feeling anxious when they don’t have access to ice, etc), the majority of people are able to stop or cut down on ice eating when they are get their iron back up to normal levels.

Luckily there is hope...

...for hopelessly ice-crunching anemic pregnant people: during pregnancy, your body’s ability to absorb iron from iron-rich foods (such as beef and lamb, liver, chicken, legumes, and dark leafy greens) increases by as much as 400%! All the more reason to dig into that steak you’ve been craving (or that lentil burger, for you vegetarians out there).
Picture
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Dr Eli Silver
    (248) 629-0224
    23650 Woodward Ave Ste 104
    Pleasant Ridge, MI 48069
    Book Now
    Appointments by Videochat
    ​Dr Silver is available for telemedicine appointments for people outside of the Detroit area. If you are interested in setting up an appointment via  videochat, just call (248) 629-0224.  
    More questions?
    Click Book Now to schedule a free ​15 minute phone call or videochat. ​

    About Dr Silver

    Dr Silver is a board certified Naturopathic Doctor in the Detroit metro area.

    Dr Silver is currently taking new patients. Call 248-629-0224 or click on the button above to make an appointment. 

    Picture

    ​This blog is intended for educational purposes only.
    Information expressed herein does not constitute medical advice and in no way should be used as a substitute for the advice and attention of a qualified medical practitioner. 

    Categories

    All
    ADHD
    Allergies
    Anemia
    Anxiety
    Asthma
    Autism
    Babies
    Brain
    Candida
    Cold And Flu
    Coronavirus
    Croup
    Detoxification
    Diet
    Down Syndrome
    Eczema
    Exercise
    Fertility
    Food
    Gluten Free
    Herbs
    Homeopathy
    Hormones
    Immune System
    IVF
    Kids
    Leaky Gut
    LGBTQ
    Mental Health
    MTHFR
    OCD
    Paleo
    PANDAS
    PCOS
    Pregnancy
    Probiotics
    Recipes
    Skin
    Teens
    Vaccines

    Archives

    July 2020
    February 2020
    October 2019
    August 2019
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

Eli Silver ND 
Oakland Family Wellness, LLC
23650 Woodward Ave Suite 104 
Pleasant Ridge, MI 48069
(248) 629-0224
While most states offer medical licensing to naturopathic doctors, Michigan does not currently offer licensure to ND's.
Until Michigan's licensing bill is passed, naturopathic medicine in Michigan is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.
Because of this Dr Silver's medical licensed is issued by the state of Vermont and he works locally under the title Naturopathic Health Consultant.


All written content published on this website is the property of Oakland Family Wellness, LLC and can not be
​downloaded, copied, modified, or redistributed without formal consent of the page author. 

​Images on this website created by Freepik.

​Click here to see this website's Privacy Policy
Picture
Picture
Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Dr Silver
    • Testimonials
    • FAQ
  • Fertility Support
    • Nutrition and Fertility
    • Male Factor Infertility
    • Natural IVF Support
    • LGBTQ Fertility
  • Kids' Health
    • Diet and Nutrition
    • Vaccines and Vaccine Alternatives
    • Allergies and Eczema
    • PANS/PANDAS, ADHD, and Down Syndrome
  • Homeopathy
    • Virtual Visits
  • Our Office
    • Contact Dr Silver
    • Make an Appointment
    • Hours and Directions
    • Resources
  • Health News