Sun, 03 May 2026 01:09:43 +0000

Watch Your Taste Buds Change: When Do Pregnancy Cravings Kick In? Pregnancy isn’t just a physical journey—it’s a complete sensory experience, and one of the most striking changes many expectant mothers notice is the sudden shift in taste preferences and cravings. If you’ve ever found yourself craving pickles and ice cream overnight—or seemed inexplicably repulsed by something that once delighted your palate—chances are, those cravings are more than just silly quirks. They’re your body signaling real hormonal changes. The Science Behind Pregnancy Cravings At the core of pregnancy cravings lies a powerful interplay of hormones, particularly estrogen and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). These hormonal shifts dramatically affect taste perception, smell sensitivity, and brain reward pathways—creating intense, often unexpected desires for specific foods.