subject: Anemia In Pregnancy [print this page] Anemia is a condition where the blood may be lacking healthy red blood cells that can cause fatigue and other conditions due to less oxygen being provided to the organs of the body. Anybody can have anemia and it is vital that this condition is addressed immediately so as to avoid severe complications that may hamper normal functioning of the body. This is especially true with pregnant women. Read on about pregnancy and anemia and learn how to make a healthy pregnancy experience.
When a women gets pregnant, her body starts working overtime and starts providing everything to the fetus first and then to the woman's body. The bone marrow suddenly does not receive the iron required for making blood cells and finds a shortage in reserves to make enough to support the fetus and the mother. Since the fetus is taking up most of the red blood cells, the body faces a severe shortage of it and the deficit caused due to the demand and supply leads to anemia while pregnancy.
The amount of blood increases by 40% during pregnancy. This increase in blood is required to supply essential nutrients for the proper development of fetus. This requires the extra production of hemoglobin in mother's body. The fetus also produces hemoglobin for its blood. This is the reason for iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy.
Hemorrhagic anemia: This results due to loss of blood and is more likely to occur after delivery due to loss of blood during delivery. During pregnancy however it may occur if there is an abortion or ruptured tubal pregnancy. Most patients receive blood transfusion but iron therapy in addition is indicated to support the formation of hemoglobin needed for adequate blood replacement.
Women who have iron deficiency anemia feel they are weak and tired, have swelling of the tongue, look pale, and are irritable. But women cannot diagnose that they have iron deficiency because they think it is normal to experience weakness and tired after long hours of work.
Anemia can be caused by an iron, folic acid or vitamin B12 deficiency, though it can also result from other health conditions. Anemia is common in pregnant women because of the increased demand placed on their bodies by the developing fetus. Iron is needed to make hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen to other cells. During pregnancy, a woman has an increased amount of blood for which to produce hemoglobin, and the fetus utilizes iron to produce red blood cells, resulting in a significantly increased need for iron.
Another thing that you could do to ensure anemia prevention during pregnancy is making sure that your iron intake is absorbed efficiently by your body. To do this, you could increase your intake of Vitamin C, which is known to aid the body in absorbing and using iron. Because of this, you should also ingest lots of food and drinks rich in Vitamin C along those that are rich in iron. You should take these on top of your iron supplement or your prenatal vitamins that contain the right amount of iron.
by: laura jane
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