RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the current state of knowledge concerning the determinants and consequences of geophagy during pregnancy. METHOD: Bibliographic searching of articles published in English or French and included in the Scopus database, and reporting of our experience with the management of geophagic pregnant women at the maternity unit of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (French Guiana). RESULTS: Geophagy is a little known practice initiated by various stimuli, including nausea and iron deficiency. Sustained geophagy during pregnancy has many consequences, due to complex ionic interactions with the digestive tract. Clay consumption may lead to iron deficiency, which may even be life-threatening in cases of post-partum haemorrhage in severely anaemic women. For the foetus, in addition to the known risk of preterm birth associated with maternal anaemia, maternal geophagy may lead to overexposure to heavy metals, including aluminium in particular. This practice should therefore be considered potentially damaging to the neurological development of the child. The ionic imbalances caused by the ingestion of clay over a long period should be systematically evaluated and corrected, given the secondary malabsorption they may cause, often necessitating parenteral feeding.