Ice eating during pregnancy

Craving Ice: Pregnancy, Anemia, and More

Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph.D., MSN — By Sara Lindberg — Updated on May 24, 2018

Do you ever get an urge to crunch on a piece of ice? If you do, you’re not alone.

You might think you’re craving for ice has something to do with the hot weather outside. And while a frozen cube of water can quench your thirst in the middle of summer, there are actually a few medical reasons you may be craving the frozen water in your freezer.

You can crave ice for a number of reasons. Here are the common reasons people crave ice:

Pica

If you’re experiencing an insatiable craving to eat ice, you may have a condition called pica. “In medical terms, pica is a disorder defined by a desire to eat substances that lack any nutritional value,” explains Dr. Sarina Pasricha, MD, MSCR.

People with pica often crave nonfood items, like dirt, paint chips, clay, hair, ice, or paper. If ice is the substance you crave, then you may have a type of pica called pagophagia.

While there’s no single cause of pica or pagophagia, they can occur if you have iron deficiency anemia. Malnutrition or a mental health disorder may also be the culprit.

Pica is often seen in children and may have a psychological basis, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or a pediatric developmental disorder. It’s also commonly related to an underlying nutrient deficiency, typically iron. This then results in anemia.

Iron deficiency anemia

You don’t have to receive a diagnosis of pica to crave ice. Some people with anemia may crave ice as a result of an iron deficiency. One study proposed that this is because ice gives people with anemia a mental boost. Anemia is a medical condition in which your blood doesn’t carry enough oxygen to the rest of your body. This results in less energy.

Other symptoms of anemia include:

shortness of breath
dizziness
weakness

Pregnancy

If you’re pregnant, your doctor may discover that you have anemia. “Pregnant women are often anemic due to the demands on the blood supply and circulation, poor nutritional intake, or from abnormal bleeding,” explains Dr. C. Nicole Swiner, MD. Even if you don’t have a history of anemia, you can become iron deficient during pregnancy.

In addition to anemia, Pasricha says there are other reasons you may crave ice during pregnancy:

Pregnancy can cause nausea and vomiting, which
can lead to dehydration. In this case, eating ice allows you to stay hydrated
without worsening the nausea symptoms.
Since ice has no odor or taste, many women crave
ice during pregnancy.
Pregnancy increases a woman’s metabolic rate and
causes vasodilation (swelling of the blood vessels). Both of these can lead
women to feel increasingly hot and therefore crave cold items such as ice.

Pasricha recommends seeing your doctor if your desire to eat or chew ice continues to increase for at least one month. Your doctor will likely perform basic lab work to test for iron deficiency anemia, which needs to be evaluated and treated.

It’s also a good idea to have your teeth evaluated. Chewing ice over time can ruin enamel. Ask your doctor to look at your teeth. They can tell you if a visit to the dentist is necessary.

Once you visit your doctor, the next step is to come up with a plan to stop, or at least decrease, your ice cravings.

If anemia is the cause of your cravings, your doctor may start you on iron supplements and replacement therapy. After your iron stores are replaced, the ice craving usually resolves.

If anemia isn’t the underlying cause, your doctor may look at psychological reasons for the craving. “Some people may have craved ice due to psychological stressors, in which case, cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be helpful,” says Pasricha.

Compulsive ice chewing for a period of longer than one month is a sign of a more significant medical or psychological issue that needs to be checked out.

If you’re craving and chewing on ice for reasons other than thirst, make an appointment to see your healthcare provider.

Last medically reviewed on May 24, 2018

How we vetted this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Anemia. (2018).
medlineplus.gov/anemia.html
Bhatia MS, et al. (2014). Pagophagia — a common but rarely reported form of pica. DOI:
10.7860/JCDR/2014/6829.3959
Hunt M, et al. (2014). Pagophagia improves neuropsychological processing speed in iron-deficiency anemia. DOI:
10.1016/j.mehy.2014.07.016
Pasricha S. (2018). Personal interview.
Pica. (n.d.).
nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/pica
Rabel A, et al. (2016). Ask about ice, then consider iron. DOI:
10. 1002/2327-6924.12268
Swiner CN. (2018). Personal interview.
Uchida T, et al. (2014). Pagophagia in iron deficiency anemia.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24850454

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

May 24, 2018

Sara Lindberg

Edited By

Katrina Chernoff

Medically Reviewed By

Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph.D., MSN

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Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph.D., MSN — By Sara Lindberg — Updated on May 24, 2018

Craving Ice During Pregnancy: Causes & Risks

Have you noticed strange cravings for ice while pregnant? Are you curious if it has a deeper meaning, or does your baby just have a taste for chilly treats?

Pregnancy brings many strange changes to our tastes, and craving ice is just one of many!

Although it may seem like nothing more than a quirk, getting down to the bottom of your ice craving during pregnancy and understanding why it happens can help catch and prevent other health problems early on.

Table of Contents

What Is Pica?
How Common Is Pica?
When Is Your Ice Habit a Problem?
4 Things Your Ice Craving Could Mean
Can Ice Cravings Indicate Pregnancy?
Two Concerns Related To Eating Ice
Are There Benefits To Eating Ice?
Should You Chill the Ice Craving?

What Is Pica?

The term pica refers to cravings for non-food items or edibles that offer no nutritional value. You may have heard of some of the more wild stories about pica, such as addictions to eating chalk or dirt, but it can also present in less serious ways too.

Why does this matter to an expecting mama? Ice cravings fall under the pica umbrella diagnosis. Sometimes, the urge to chew ice is a harmless one. However, it can also be a concerning sign your body is trying to communicate something important.

Unfortunately, there isn’t one specific explanation that applies to all women with ice cravings, so you can only make an educated guess. But the most common reason pregnant women have the urge to eat ice is that they have a mineral deficiency.

How Common Is Pica?

Pica is most commonly seen in children, but pregnant women are the second most common demographic to experience it. Still, there has been no more than 30% of occurrences in children, and even less than that with pregnant women ⁽¹⁾.

That may seem like a low percentage, especially if you’re like me and you’ve seen friends knock back the rest of the ice in a cup after a drink. The desire to crunch down doesn’t always mean it’s time to panic and self-diagnose pica.

Hot days or boredom can lead us to snack on ice, and as long as it isn’t a frequent practice, you’re in the clear. It’s essential to keep an eye on how much and how often the urge to chew occurs.

We usually recommend that patients speak to their doctor if chewing ice continues for more than one month or becomes more frequent.

When Is Your Ice Habit a Problem?

Before you get too worried, remember what we’re talking about here. Compared to many other things, ice is a relatively safe substance, and its risks are minimal and rare. While it is important to get to the bottom of any possible underlying problems, don’t let yourself lose sleep.

Extreme cases are far and few between. If you feel your behavior is abnormal and a cause for concern at any time during your pregnancy, talk to your doctor.

Further, if you begin to experience more pica cravings for things like toothpaste or chalk, make sure you bring this to your doctor’s attention, too.

Consuming non-food items can affect you and your baby, take away from the nutrition you need and cause tummy issues down the line if not treated.

Pica is usually seen in the first trimester but could present at any time during pregnancy. Do mention it to your doctor even if you believe what you are craving to be harmless, as it can be an indicator that there is another underlying condition going on. This could include vitamin and mineral deficiency or mental health conditions as well.

Editor's Note:

Dr. Njoud Jweihan, MD

4 Things Your Ice Craving Could Mean

While chewing ice may be an innocent practice, there are a couple of different things, both physical and mental, that your ice cravings could be trying to tell you.

Often, they will be coupled with other symptoms, so monitor yourself before you get too worried and seek medical attention.

1.

Anemia and Iron Deficiency

Anemia is the main reason people crave ice, especially if the cravings are consistent. Pregnant women are at a much higher risk for anemia because of the demands pregnancy puts on their bodies.

Anemia occurs when your body cannot produce the red blood cells it needs to function. It’s the most common blood condition in the United States and may often leave you feeling drained, looking pale, or dealing with insomnia.

Pica is often a sign that your body is trying to get the iron it needs from other sources since it isn’t coming from you by choice.

These are some iron-rich foods that can help you get the iron you need:

Meat and chicken.
Fortified grains.
Beans and legumes.
Spinach.

Iron deficiency anemia is the most common anemia of pregnancy. Although there is no direct connection between chewing ice and iron deficiency anemia, some say it boosts energy that helps with the breathlessness and weakness that comes from anemia.

2. Toothache and Gum Problems

Have you ever used an ice pack to relieve pain or swelling? It’s possible your craving to eat ice is a way of self-soothing a tooth or gum problem.

There isn’t much evidence behind this, but it isn’t unheard of and is worth paying attention to. Do you feel any tenderness when you bite down or brush your teeth? Do your gums bleed when you floss?

If so, consider giving your dentist a call. It might be time for a check-up and cleaning anyway.

Chewing ice can also create dental issues, causing cracked or chipped teeth and sore jaw muscles.

3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Though they’re much rarer than anemia, mental health issues can be the cause of your pica. OCD is often characterized by the compulsion to repeatedly act out certain rituals — like eating ice.

Compulsions will relieve building anxiety, often caused by repetitive worries known as obsessions. OCD and other emotional disorders can often be treated with therapy and possible pharmaceuticals.

Aside from this specific disorder, pica can also point to other mental health issues. If you suspect you may have OCD or other mental health issues, talk to your doctor about where to go for an official diagnosis and treatment ⁽²⁾.

4. Stress

Emotional eating affects 27% of adults. It can go either direction — over or under eating. Ice cravings could be a side effect of both of these diet problems, which are often stress-related.

I’ve experienced this one myself. Grabbing a cup of ice became a habit for me whenever I was about to sit down and do some serious work, like filing my taxes. It helped to have something to absentmindedly crunch on while I buckled down, without eating and becoming full.

This particular reason for ice cravings is less serious than the others and doesn’t require medical attention unless it begins to cause problems with your dental health or personal decisions.

Consider why you’re stressed, and work to minimize or remove those stressors from your life. It will be better for you and your baby in the long run. Chewing ice and other forms of pica stimulate the reward center in our brain, making us crave even more.

Can Ice Cravings Indicate Pregnancy?

Many women experience cravings early in their pregnancies, and ice is one of the most common.

While a first-time mother may not understand the significance of these cool pregnancy cravings, when you’re pregnant for the second or third time, you might recognize them as a definite tell.

While ice cravings could be a sign, there are many more reliable ways to tell if you’re pregnant. A store-bought pregnancy test or a visit to your doctor are better ways to find out if you’re pregnant.

Two Concerns Related To Eating Ice

There could be other, non-harmful explanations for ice cravings, like the desire to cool off during a hot day. Not everything in your pregnancy has to be a cause for concern! (Though, as mothers, we sure do like to jump to conclusions, don’t we?)

Even if your ice munching is occasional and not a real sign of a deeper problem, you should be careful when consuming it.

Though ice is relatively harmless, especially compared to other pica cravings, there are two main concerns to keep in mind when indulging.

1. Tooth Damage

You’d be surprised at how common tooth damage from ice can be! Like anything you can crunch, chewing ice may put stress on your teeth and risk hurting the enamel or even causing chipping. In some cases, people have even damaged their gums because of their ice-eating habit.

If you can’t quit eating ice, you can avoid tooth damage by refraining from chewing it in large, hard chunks. Plenty of places offer crushed ice, and smaller pieces are easier on your teeth.

Cool Tip

Make your own crushed ice at home by putting ice in a plastic sealable bag and crushing it with a heavy object. (This might also be a little stress reliever!)

2. Choking

Now, this might seem like a silly one, but it’s valid. Distraction can cause us to be careless with what we put in our mouths, and large chunks of ice can easily lodge in the throat. This is yet another reason why choosing to chew small pieces of ice is better.

Are There Benefits To Eating Ice?

So far, you’ve heard about the cautions and hazards of indulging your ice cravings. The good news is, it’s not all bad!

Since ice is frozen water, eating ice is a great way to stay hydrated. When you’re pregnant, it’s more important than ever to get at least eight cups of water daily.

Eating ice can also help soothe the horrors of morning sickness. Many women eat ice to handle nausea and prevent sickness during their first trimester. Summer pregnancies can cause you to feel extra hot, and eating ice can be a safe way to cool off.

Tasty Tip

Freeze small pieces of fruit in the center of ice cubes for a tasty treat, or freeze cubes of juice.

Should You Chill the Ice Craving?

To chew or not to chew — hopefully, you’re a little closer to answering that question.

With some knowledge and careful monitoring, ice cravings are a normal and even beneficial part of pregnancy. Knowing when to be concerned and understanding the risks will only make it easier to enjoy eating ice without worrying.

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Why do you want to eat ice during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, many women develop cravings for certain things. It can be both edible and non-edible, for example, ice, chalk, coal, powder. Doctors do not agree on what causes cravings during pregnancy. Many are inclined to believe that changes in the hormonal background of pregnant women affect this.

Common reasons why pregnant women want to eat ice

1. Iron deficiency anemia

A common cause of ice cravings, whether you are pregnant or not, is low iron levels .

Low iron levels can cause a condition called iron deficiency anemia. This means that your blood is not carrying enough oxygen throughout your body, resulting in a lack of energy.

One small study of people with iron deficiency anemia found that about 16% experienced severe ice cravings. Another study found that some anemic people craved ice because it gave them a mental boost.

Anemia is common during pregnancy and may be caused by increased blood and circulation demands, insufficient iron intake, or abnormal bleeding.

Symptoms of anemia include:

fatigue and lack of energy
shortness of breath
marked palpitations (palpitations)
pale skin

Anemia during pregnancy can cause complications before and after childbirth. Fortunately, this is usually easily diagnosed and can be treated with iron supplements.

If you suspect you may be anemic, talk to your midwife or GP.

You can find out more about anemia during pregnancy here.

2. Pica

Ice cravings during pregnancy can also be caused by a condition known as pica or pica.

Pica is a form of disordered eating where you crave or eat something that is not food and has no nutritional value. Common addictions include soil, ice, soap, laundry detergent, and chalk.

Eating ice is a form of picacism known as pagophagia.

Anyone can develop pica, but this is especially common during pregnancy. Although no one knows for sure what causes it, it is believed to be caused by psychological causes or a nutritional deficiency such as a lack of iron or zinc. Some studies have also linked pica and anemia.

Pica is said to be common during pregnancy because the extra demands on your body means your diet may not meet all of your nutritional needs.

3. Nausea

In the first and second trimesters of pregnancy, nausea, increased sense of smell and morning sickness are very common and can occur at any time of the day or night.

You may crave ice because it has no taste or smell, so you are unlikely to feel sick when you eat it. You may also experience cravings for ice to replace fluids if you are dehydrated after vomiting. The feeling of nausea usually goes away by 16-20 weeks of pregnancy.

4. Feeling hot

When you are pregnant, you will feel hotter than usual. This is due to hormonal changes and increased blood flow to the skin, which can make your skin feel warm to the touch. You also expend more energy by moving. If you're hot during pregnancy, your ice cravings may be a way to cool off and increase your fluid intake.

Can I eat ice during pregnancy?

Ice consumption during pregnancy is generally safe, although be careful with your teeth. If you chew on a lot of ice, it can damage your enamel.

However, if you are constantly thirsty or eat ice, it is important to understand why. Your cravings may be due to a condition or nutrient deficiency that needs to be treated.

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How to take care of your skin during pregnancy?

“How to properly care for your face during pregnancy: do you need to change your usual rituals? Are there ingredients in creams and serums that should be avoided? Maybe it’s better to switch completely to organic?”

Ekaterina, 27

Specialist answer:

During pregnancy, the level of the female sex hormone estrogen, which is responsible for the protective properties of the skin, its elasticity and firmness, decreases. Also, an increased content of sodium in the tissues leads to the appearance of edema, especially in the area around the eyes, where the skin is very delicate, and the layer of subcutaneous fatty tissue is almost completely absent.

In order to get rid of edema, first of all, it is necessary to identify the cause of their appearance: health problems, stress, lack of sleep, genetic predisposition, and malnutrition. Very often, swelling can be provoked by an incorrectly selected cream around the eyes. In order for the product to work effectively, it must contain caffeine, chestnut or mint extracts. All these ingredients have a lymphatic drainage effect and stimulate microcirculation. Japanese massage will also help eliminate swelling, which you can do on your own for 15 minutes a day. Apply moisturizer to cleansed facial skin and press with your fingers on the main acupuncture points on the face. You can also wipe your face with an ice cube in the morning. Cold is a good remedy for edema. Don't forget to use cooling patches.

As a result of increased production of melanin pigment, a large number of moles and pigmentation often appear on the face, the skin's protective barrier weakens. It is necessary to switch to cosmetics with a mild composition, use a cleansing milk for the face, a gel with a suitable PH balance, delicate care and a minimum content of surfactants. The composition of the tonic should not contain alcohol. A good option is Phytomer cosmetics, which are great for pregnant women. It is also important to use sunscreen every day. Pregnancy is a contraindication to many facial procedures. For example, during this period you should not do injections, it is better to exclude any hardware techniques, ultrasonic facial cleansing, laser procedures. And of course, for a while, it is necessary to completely exclude chemical peels. But at the same time, milk peeling is quite acceptable, which works exclusively on the surface of the skin.

During pregnancy, we recommend paying attention to gentle care and express procedures, as it is often difficult for them to lie in one position for a long ritual. Facial massages with an emphasis on lymphatic drainage techniques are perfect: Kobido, Spanish chiromassage, classic facial massage. All these massages will help solve the problem of edema, maintain tone and good tone of the face.

Another important point in self-care during pregnancy is the right diet.