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Appetite Loss During Pregnancy: Causes, Symptoms, and Advice

Many women experience appetite loss during pregnancy.

You may occasionally find food unappealing, or you may feel hungry but can’t bring yourself to eat.

If you’re dealing with these symptoms, you may want to know possible reasons for your appetite loss, tips for treating it, and when to see a health professional.

This article explains all you need to know about appetite loss during pregnancy.

It’s normal for your appetite to fluctuate, especially as your body undergoes numerous changes during pregnancy.

If you lose your appetite, you may experience a general disinterest in all foods or a lack of desire to eat. Keep in mind that appetite loss differs from an aversion to a few specific foods, which is also fairly common during pregnancy.

Several factors may cause appetite loss during pregnancy, such as the following.

Nausea and vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are common during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester — though some women may experience these symptoms throughout their pregnancy (1).

Both mild and extreme cases of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy can significantly affect food intake and appetite.

Research has shown that fluctuations in the hormones leptin and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) during pregnancy may lead to decreased appetite and more nausea and vomiting (2).

A study in 2,270 pregnant women demonstrated that among women with moderate or severe nausea and vomiting, 42% and 70% reported a reduced level of food intake in early pregnancy, respectively (3).

If you’re experiencing appetite loss due to nausea and vomiting, try to avoid fatty or spicy foods, drink fluids separately from your meals, and eat small, more frequent meals.

You may more easily tolerate dry, salty snacks like pretzels and crackers, as well as bland foods like baked chicken breast.

However, you may need to see a health professional if you experience more serious cases of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

Mental health conditions

Various mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression, may affect your appetite.

In fact, pregnant women may be more prone to mental health issues due to various physical and biochemical changes. In particular, depression may lead to altered eating habits, including decreased appetite and a reduced intake of nutrient-dense foods (4, 5).

In a study in 94 pregnant women, 51% of those diagnosed with depression had poor dietary intake, which increased to 71% after 6 months (6).

What’s more, depression during pregnancy is linked to a decreased appetite for healthy foods, an increased appetite for unhealthy foods, and lower intakes of important nutrients like folate, fatty acids, iron, and zinc. This may negatively affect fetal and maternal health (7).

Mental health disorders commonly go undiagnosed during pregnancy due to the shame that some pregnant women feel talking about them. If you’re experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, it’s important to consult a trusted health professional.

Medications

Certain medications that are safe to use during pregnancy may cause side effects like decreased appetite.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Zoloft and Prozac are sometimes prescribed to pregnant women diagnosed with depression or anxiety (8).

SSRIs can cause decreased appetite. In fact, some pregnant women have reported a complete loss of appetite, early fullness, and weight loss after starting fluoxetine (Prozac) for depression (9, 10).

Olanzapine and buprenorphine are other drugs that may lead to decreased appetite (11, 12).

Disordered eating

Some pregnant women may experience eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia. Experts estimate that the prevalence of disordered eating in pregnant women is 0.6–27.8% (13).

Disordered eating can lead to changes in appetite, a phobia of weight gain, and decreased food intake (14, 15).

If you’re pregnant and have an eating disorder, ask your healthcare provider for treatment options.

Other potential causes

Pregnant women may also experience appetite loss due to medical conditions like tumors, delayed stomach emptying, heartburn, and Addison’s disease (16, 17, 18, 19).

Furthermore, high levels of stress may affect maternal health and cause a loss of appetite (20).

Additionally, pregnancy-related changes to taste and smell, nutrient deficiencies in vitamin B12 and iron, and general discomfort from carrying a baby may cause appetite loss in some pregnant women (21, 22, 23, 24, 25).

summary

Nausea and vomiting are some of the most common causes of appetite loss during pregnancy, though there are numerous other factors.

If you’re experiencing appetite loss, you may wonder how to get your eating back on track.

Foods to prioritize

There are a few foods you can prioritize even if you feel you can’t eat whole meals. These will help ensure adequate nutrient intake for you and your baby.

Many of the following foods are simple to make, small in portion size, filling, and easy on your stomach.

• Protein-rich snacks: hard-boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, roasted chickpeas, cheese and crackers, and sliced chicken, turkey, or ham served cold
• Bland, fiber-packed veggies: sweet potatoes, green beans, baby carrots (steamed or raw), and raw spinach salad
• Sweet, simple bites: fresh berries, oatmeal, dried fruit, and cold dairy products like plain cottage cheese
• Bland grains/starches: quinoa, brown rice, pasta, macaroni and cheese, and baked or mashed potato
• Soup: chicken noodle soup and chicken rice soup
• Liquids: simple broths and healthy smoothies

Other strategies

If your appetite loss is linked to nausea or vomiting, try eating small, more frequent meals, avoiding spicy and fatty foods, and supplementing with ginger and thiamine. If acupuncture is an option for you, it may also help (26).

Severe nausea and vomiting may require different treatment methods, including medications and intravenous (IV) fluids (27).

If you have nutrient deficiencies linked to appetite loss, you may need high-dose supplements to restore normal levels. Any supplements should be prescribed and monitored by a medical professional (24, 25).

You can also consult your healthcare provider for individualized treatment.

summary

If you’re experiencing appetite loss during pregnancy, you should prioritize bland, filling foods that are rich in nutrients.

If you’re experiencing occasional appetite loss or a loss of appetite for specific foods, there’s usually no need to worry as long as you’re consuming enough nutrients on a daily basis.

For example, if you’re eating nutrient-dense meals consistently and your weight gain is appropriate to promote fetal growth, occasional appetite loss should not be a concern.

Additionally, some pregnant women may lose their appetite for specific foods, including highly fragrant foods and meat. Yet, this is a relatively common occurrence and not typically a cause for concern.

However, if you’re regularly skipping meals or lose your appetite for more than a day, you should contact your healthcare provider for advice.

This is because it’s crucial to get enough nutrients to support your health, as well as the health of your growing baby.

Potential complications related to poor intake during pregnancy

Undernutrition can lead to many pregnancy-related complications, including poor fetal growth, low birth weight, and maternal weight loss. It’s also associated with lower mental function and behavioral problems in children (29, 30, 31).

Both macronutrients and micronutrients are essential to sustain a healthy pregnancy.

Pregnant women with chronically poor appetites run a risk of anemia, fetal growth abnormalities, and preterm birth (32, 33).

summary

Chronic appetite loss during pregnancy can lead to undernutrition, which can cause many adverse health effects in both you and your baby.

As your body adjusts to pregnancy, you may find certain foods unappealing or experience a loss of appetite. Sometimes, you can’t bring yourself to eat even if you’re hungry.

Keep in mind that appetite loss is fairly common and often linked to other symptoms like nausea and vomiting. You may find that your appetite fluctuates, which is perfectly normal.

If you lose your appetite but still feel hungry, you can try eating small servings of bland, simple foods that are filling, rich in nutrients, and easy on your stomach.

If you experience chronic or long-lasting appetite loss, consult a health professional.

We fight against toxicosis - articles from the specialists of the clinic "Mother and Child"

Alexandrova Anna Evgenievna

Embryologist

Clinic "Mother and Child" South-West

rest more

Very often in the first trimester, the expectant mother feels weak, drowsy, she wants to lie down to rest, and sometimes she simply does not even have the strength to move. This, of course, is not toxicosis, but if such sensations arise, then they must be indulged so as not to inadvertently provoke another attack of nausea. Get plenty of rest and do not make any sudden movements, because even if you just fail to get up from a chair, you can provoke an attack of nausea.

Sleep with the windows open: the air in the bedroom should be fresh and cool. Go to bed on time, do not sit at midnight in front of the TV or at the computer, eliminate all irritating factors: an uncomfortable mattress, blanket, pillow, hard bedding - lack of sleep can respond with morning sickness.

eat right

Eat small meals, 5-6 times a day, or even more often. When you wake up, don't get out of bed right away. One of the most effective methods against toxicosis is breakfast in bed. In the evening, put crackers, yogurt, or any product that you can tolerate well next to your bed. Eat it before you get up, and then lie down for a while. Most likely, morning sickness will either not appear at all, or will be very weak.

Usually, in case of toxicosis, it is not recommended to eat fatty, smoked, salty, pickled, drink soda (the usual set of food hazards). But it is likely that some not very healthy product will now be well tolerated, and something from healthy food, on the contrary, will cause nausea. "Pregnant whims" - a cake with herring or pineapples at night - these are the requests of the body that it needs one or another component in food. For example, the desire to chew chalk is a sign of calcium deficiency. So eat what you like and what you want, within reason, of course. And if you don’t feel like something, even if this product is extremely useful and necessary, don’t eat it. If you feel sick from some dish, it means that the body signals you: I don’t need this now!

drink more often

Toxicosis may not be limited to nausea, some may also vomit. This means fluid is lost. Therefore, between meals, drink more often: a sip or two of mineral water or tea with lemon will help to cope with nausea and replenish lost fluids. But drink in small sips. Also, you should not drink food and you should give up soups for a while - a large amount of food drunk and eaten, on the contrary, only provokes nausea and vomiting.

breathe fresh air

Outdoor walks are good for everyone, but especially for toxicosis. Firstly, when walking, the blood of the expectant mother and baby is saturated with oxygen, which is very important for health, and secondly, walking calms the nervous system. Together, this helps to reduce the unpleasant symptoms of toxicosis. You need to walk at least two hours a day - but not just along the street, but in the place where the air is really fresh: in the forest, park, square, and best of all outside the city. Before you go out, think over the route: go away from gas-polluted highways, street cafes, food stalls and other "fragrant" places.

eliminate fragrances

Taste and smell preferences change during the first trimester. Now even your favorite perfumes can cause nausea, headaches and allergic reactions. Therefore, put away all fragrant cosmetics that irritate you: perfumes, deodorants, creams, and so on. You will have to stop using your favorite perfume for both your husband and loved ones. Explain to others that this is not a whim, but a temporary measure, very soon everything will return to normal.

And do not worry that now you will be left without your usual beauty products. Both the cosmetic store and the pharmacy are full of different creams, tonics, shampoos without fragrance or with a minimal smell.

work with yourself

Psychologists believe that the cause of toxicosis is not only in hormonal changes, but also in the psychological state of a woman. The more a woman experiences, the more anxieties and fears she has, the more pronounced toxicosis can be. Ideally, it is better to limit yourself during pregnancy from any stress. Of course, it’s not always possible to eliminate nervous work or crowding in public transport, but watch less TV, don’t read negative news and various pregnant “horror stories” on the Internet, and don’t react to minor or even major everyday troubles everyone can do. Therefore, if you are worried about toxicosis, create your own comfortable world during pregnancy. If you can’t cope on your own, contact a specialist (psychologist). Toxicosis is really well treated with psychotherapy. The main thing is that the expectant mother should want to get rid of her own anxiety.

No matter how unpleasant toxicosis is, it does not last forever. It is necessary to suffer until the beginning or (less often) the middle of the II trimester. And very soon all the unpleasant symptoms of toxicosis will remain in the past!

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The reason for the nutritional vagaries of pregnant women: this is not because their body lacks something

• Veronica Greenwood
• BBC Future

July 25, 2020

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Image copyright Getty Images

What's behind pregnancy's weird eating habits? Most likely, not at all what we are used to thinking about.

We have all heard stories a thousand times about a pregnant woman who, in the middle of the night, wanted a pickled cucumber with ice cream so much that she sent her husband in search of the coveted products. Or who passionately wants chocolate - but not any, namely one that cannot be found in stores nearby.

However, why "heard"? Perhaps you yourself experienced an inexplicable desire to eat something special when you were pregnant.

They often try to explain this by saying that the food whims of pregnant women occur due to the fact that their body (or the body of a developing fetus) suddenly needed certain nutrients, and there is even something attractive, touching in such an explanation.

After all, bearing a child is a difficult, long, not always pleasant and sometimes mysterious process. And if a burning desire to urgently eat a burger, or even two, has such a good reason - well, so be it.

However, when you look at the scientific research on this phenomenon, things turn out to be much more complex and fascinating.

Researchers found that the food whims of pregnancy (as a concept) did not exist in all cultures.

And in those non-English speaking countries where pregnant women sometimes report their sudden food cravings, they want something completely different than, for example, women in the US and the UK. For example, in Japan, most often they want such a prosaic thing as rice.

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Going further: studies that have tried to find out whether the body gets the special nutrients that it needs from the foods that pregnant women most often want to eat have found no evidence of this.

In fact, women who reported an overwhelming desire to eat something gained much more weight than is considered healthy during pregnancy because of this, which could lead to more complications.

This, however, does not mean that women invent all their desires. And the fact that the reasons for their whims are completely different, they are not dictated by biochemical need.

Understanding why people suddenly crave certain foods in the first place can help, says Julia Hormes, a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Albany, who studies food cravings in a variety of ways.

For example, she says that about 50% of women in the US report craving chocolate during the week leading up to their period.

The scientists decided to investigate whether this craving was due to certain nutrients in chocolate that are important for menstruation, or if it reflects hormonal changes.

Image copyright, Getty Images

Food cravings may be related to the psychology or cultural traditions of a particular society

In one experiment, a psychologist gave women a box and asked them to eat its contents when they suddenly felt like eating something .

Some of the boxes contained milk chocolate, which had all the usual chocolate ingredients and also had a pleasant melt-in-the-mouth sweetness.

Others have white chocolate that does not contain cocoa solids (which give milk and dark chocolate its dark color) but still has a pleasant texture.

Third, cocoa candies with all the nutrients of cocoa, but without the mouthfeel that chocolate does.

It turned out that white chocolate had the greatest success in satisfying desires, which suggests that whims are not spurred on by any particularly useful cocoa ingredients.

In other studies, "chocolate whims" have not been found to be associated with hormone levels.

In fact, even during menopause, women continued to feel the desire to eat chocolate, Horms emphasizes, they simply began to attribute it to other reasons.

All this brings us to the conclusion that the source of food vagaries is in psychology or in cultural traditions. A craving for a cookie, a chocolate bar, or a bag of chips can start as a simple thought and then grow bigger and bigger, becoming an obsession that is hard to resist.

At the same time, thoughts of something delicious can coexist with feelings of guilt.

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  In particular, if you hold yourself back for a long time and a barrier has already formed in your head (you are not allowed to eat this food!), it will be extremely difficult to resist and not lose control of your desires when you reach for a forbidden treat.

  And then, after eating a piece of cake, instead of feeling satisfied and doing something else, you eat three more pieces.

  Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that women during pregnancy can limit themselves to certain foods - either by following a healthier diet or following the recommendations of a doctor.

  Image copyright, Getty Images

  Image caption,

  Eating a piece of chocolate regularly can keep you from falling into uncontrollable devouring of tiles

  All of these circumstances give rise - at least in some countries of the world - to situations in which food cravings are more frequent and more likely to occur and are harder to control, which can lead to, say, weight gain.

  In addition, during pregnancy, a woman's whims in eating are not customary to condemn.

  "There are certain moments and situations in our culture where women are not judged for eating foods that are normally supposed to be avoided," says Horms. "PMS and pregnancy, for example, are considered such situations in society."

  • What if women had complete control over when and from whom to get pregnant?
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  Understanding what leads to a craving to eat something can prevent the transition from just thinking about cake to eating cake, Hormes emphasizes.

  One way is to use distractions, both visual and, for example, olfactory. The other is, with the help of self-contemplation and awareness achieved in meditation, to recognize the presence of desire and let it go, let it go.

  ---

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