npr:
Many Women Underestimate Fertility Clock’s Clang
A new survey finds many women dramatically underestimate how much fertility declines with age.
Photo courtesy of Kate Donnellon Nail
Pica: The overwhelming urge, particularly among pregnant women, to eat nonfood items like dirt, chalk, and clay.
In her new book Craving Earth, author Sera Young explains why women have these strange cravings. Scientists haven’t pinned down an exact reason, but it’s either a response to mineral deficiencies or an instinctual effort to “protect against harm from toxins and pathogens.” Clay has a high mineral content, and is often rich in calcium, iron, copper, and magnesium. “These are essential minerals for the human diet, but even more critical during pregnancy.” It may also help with the symptoms of morning sickness.
As many as 56 percent of pregnant Kenyan women admit to eating dirt or clay, writes Young. It’s common enough in the U.S. that a shop in White Plains, Ga., sells “geophagic earth,” or kaolin, to those hungering for the taste of clay.
Uh, but isn’t it bad for you? And what does it taste like?
Photo: CC BY Lauren Mitchell
Feminists are mad at Natalie Portman for saying that motherhood is her ‘most important role.’
