![]() Kenyan culture does not specify what a woman should do regarding her cravings, but it does demand that she balance her food intake so as to prevent the tsango from becoming too strong or too weak, both of which are injurious to her health and her child. 5 When a woman becomes pregnant, the tsango looks after the baby, watching over the provision of food from the mother to the child, and ensuring that the blood carrying the food is good and clean. In Kenya, it is thought that the tsango, an agent of health present in the bodies of women, is essential for life, digestion, and reproduction. In the Hindu culture, the essence of pregnancy cravings is encapsulated in the very word for pregnancy cravings, dohada, which means “two-heartedness.” It attributes pregnancy cravings to the “presence of a second heart and a second will in the body of the mother.” As such, “the prosperous development of the embryo depends on the satisfaction of these cravings, in whatsoever manner they may manifest themselves.” 4 These early theories grew out of a need for physicians to interpret the visible symptoms of pregnancy, and their influence remains apparent today. 3 Cross-Cultural Interpretations: Dohada and Tsango As the pregnancy progressed and the growing fetus reduced penetration of these liquids, women would be less susceptible to cravings and nausea. Women harbored “bad liquids” in the folds of their stomach from their failure to release menstrual blood during conception. When these liquids penetrated the stomach, a woman would crave sour and pungent things until these unpleasant juices were eliminated by vomiting. In medieval times, famed rabbi, physician, and philosopher Maimonides adopted the existing Greco-Roman theory that cravings were the result of an imbalance in bodily humors – fluids thought to influence a person’s physical and mental qualities. ““Bad liquids” were thought to cause pregnancy cravings. 1,2 In the second stage, he described women as having a “want of appetite sometimes for all, sometimes for certain foods appetite for things not customary.” 2 Soranus believed that there were three stages of pregnancy: preservation of the injected seed, pica (cravings for non-food substances), and perfection of the embryo. In the second century AD, renowned Greek physician Soranus authored Gynecology, a work that remained influential until the 16 th century and continues to have a cultural impact today. Pregnancy cravings have long been accepted as a natural part of pregnancy. Historical Interpretations: Humors and Juices From a more practical standpoint, being able to study cravings scientifically would allow us to better understand the state of the body during pregnancy and offer nutritional guidelines that may improve maternal diets. ![]() However, science has had difficulty evaluating these claims since a craving cannot be easily quantified or measured. Societies have furnished causal explanations that made sense within their cultural context for millennia. Why should science concern itself with in pregnancy cravings? From the perspective of advancing knowledge, we simply do not know what causes pregnancy cravings. Rumor had it that her extravagant cravings had caused her death. ![]() However, in a strange twist of fate, Jane died twelve days later. This grand gesture seemed to pay off, as future heir Edward VI was born later that year. With a vested interest in the stability of Jane’s pregnancy, Henry went to great lengths to import live quail from France in order to satisfy the Queen’s cravings, since tradition stipulated that satisfied cravings made for safer pregnancies. When Queen Jane Seymour became pregnant in 1537, King Henry VIII did not have a male heir to the throne since his two previous wives had been unable to bear children. ![]() Have you ever heard stories of pregnant women craving pickles and ice cream? Or seen the media portraying pregnant women demanding that their partners get Ben and Jerry’s ice cream at 3am? Such anecdotes become more outlandish – pregnant women fighting in Trader Joe’s over the last box of multi-grain waffles, losing control at the smell of chocolate, and driving through hailstorms to get curly fries. As we cross cultural boundaries, the specifics of the stories change, but cultures almost universally offer some sort of explanation as to why cravings exist and legitimize the occasional bizarre craving behavior. Both culture and science have attempted to explain the phenomenon of pregnancy cravings. ![]()
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