Pregnancy cravings are much more common among modern women these days then in the past. Three-quarters of those surveyed experienced a craving, compared to just 30% five decades ago.

It found a third of cravings were not for food, but items such as coal, soap, toothpaste and sponges. Ice and chocolate were also popular. The poll of 2,231 pregnant women was carried out by the social network website gurgle.co

Chocolate was the most common food craving, followed by ice cream, sweets, spicy food, pickled onions, tropical fruit, curry, doughnuts, marmite, peanut butter, potatoes and nuts.

Mothers-to-be reported cravings for odd combinations of food, the most common being pickles and peanut butter, followed by marmite and ice cream.

Other combinations mentioned included tuna and banana, and fried eggs with mint sauce. Women reported that cravings mostly struck in the afternoon (40%) or in the evening (38%), with only 8% sneaking off for midnight snacks. (source: BBC News, 28/04/2008)

UNUSUAL CRAVINGS

• Ice: 22%
• Coal: 17%
• Toothpaste: 9%
• Sponges: 8%
• Mud 7%
• Chalk: 6%
• Laundry soap: 5%
• Matches: 3%
• Rubber: 1%

Percentages of women reporting unusual cravings, around 31% of total