Women undergo a number of complications during pregnancy. Health complications increase or decrease with every trimester and the expecting mums certainly need all the love and care in the world. And not just during these nine months but well beyond during the postpartum period.
What can you read in this article?
- Iron Deficiency during pregnancy: More common than you think
- Why Iron matters during pregnancy
- More frequent Iron Deficiency during pregnancy needed
- Symptoms of Iron Deficiency during pregnancy
While some health issues need extensive medical intervention, there are quite a few shortcomings that can be rectified by the right medicines, exercise and diet. And as it turns out iron deficiency is turning out to be one such issue common with pregnant women.
A recent study suggests that at least one out of two women suffer from iron deficiency during pregnancy.
That's an alarming number of reasons. Firstly, it's one of easiest tests to screen a pregnant to check for deficiency. Secondly, it's easily rectifiable with a few lifestyle changes.
Iron Deficiency during pregnancy: More common than you think
The findings were published in the Blood Advances journal. The study concluded that about half of pregnant women who took a simple blood test to check their iron levels had low readings.
What was even alarming is that about 40 percent of the pregnant women that were a part of this study never had their iron levels tested, despite the high level of deficiency? The study further concluded that women of lower socioeconomic status were less likely to get tested for iron deficiency during pregnancy.
The study was conducted specifically in Canada and the sample size included women from the region.
Speaking about the study, Jennifer Teichman, MD - University of Toronto, and the lead author said, "Despite the very high prevalence of iron deficiency in pregnancy, and how easy it is to treat, we are not doing a very good job of checking for it. It's not top of mind, in part, because of inconsistent recommendations for ferritin testing across clinical guidelines."
The study included 44,552 pregnant women who received prenatal testing at community laboratories in Ontario in Canada between 2013 and 2018.
The data also helped researchers learn more about the prevalence and severity of iron deficiency among expecting women.
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Why Iron matters during pregnancy
The iron requirements are high in pregnant women due to its need to support the developing foetus and growing placenta. There is a need to increase blood supply during pregnancy too.
That's why a pregnant women's body automatically demands more iron. In fact, many expecting mums suffer from anaemia which is low haemoglobin or low blood cell count.
Now, iron deficiency can be linked to complications for the mother and the baby including:
- Premature delivery
- Low birth weight
- Post-partum depression
- Maternal death
Anaemia can also cause neurodevelopmental delays in children, which will be visible when the child reaches the pre-school age.
More frequent Iron Deficiency during pregnancy needed
Researchers concluded that the pregnant mums need to be screened more frequently for iron deficiency. The study found that iron deficiency isn't that high during the first prenatal visit. However, it increases as we step further into the pregnancy period.
More frequent tests will help ensure accuracy when it comes to iron levels.
The standard measure of iron deficiency is ferritin testing. And expecting mums and gynaecologists must include it as a routine part of pregnancy health screenings.
Symptoms of Iron Deficiency during pregnancy
Iron deficiency is one of the direct reasons for anaemia and you can identify the same with the following symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Pale or yellowish skin
- Irregular heartbeats
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Cold hands and feet
- Headache
Do not ignore iron deficiency as it can be detrimental to the health of the mum and the baby. Make sure to eat healthy and a balanced diet and you will easily be able to fulfil your body's nutritional needs. Your gynaecologist may also prescribe medicines in case of severe iron deficiency.
Do consult with your caregiver to avoid further complications.