Abstract: Background: Pregnancy cravings are something that most people expect during the nine months of pregnancy. The old standard being pickles and ice-cream. The truth is that as many as 68% of pregnant will experience cravings usually due to hormonal changes. However, there is a condition called pica, when persons craves and consumes non-food substances. Identification of pica in pregnant women could contribute to detection of high risk group, where it is necessary to implement strategies as regard both the evaluation and nutritional education.
Aims and Objectives
1) To determine prevalence of pica in pregnancy among antenatal women at tertiary care centre in central India, Bhopal.
2) To determine commonly used pica substance during pregnancy.
3) To study and compare effect of pica over maternal outcome in women practicing pica during pregnancy
4) To study effect of pica over fetal outcome in women practicing pica during pregnancy and its comparison with controls.
Material and Method: It was prospective analytical study conducted at Sultania Zanana Hospital, Bhopal. Total number cases were 1000 pregnant women. Cases were selected by inclusion and exclusion criteria. analysis was done by chi-square test and student t test for contineous independent variables.
Observation: Total cases were 1000 out of which 38% had prevelance of pica. Most common pica substance were soil, clay and chalk, pica found more common among rural women. There were no significant adverse effects found in Pregnancy Pica over maternal and fetal outcome.
Conclusion: Pica apperas to be complex behavior. Issues related to pica as craving, it’s application as an addictive process and it’s amelioration by iron therapy are suggestive of the need to study pica as a generalised mechanism and relationship should be explored for the potential of improving understanding of other addiction such as cigarettes, alcohol or illicit drugs.
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