Anemia During Pregnancy: Deficiencies And Their Prevention

Table Of Contents:

• What Is Anemia
• Types Of Anemia During Pregnancy
• Iron-Deficiency Anemia During Pregnancy
• Folate-Deficiency Anemia
• Vitamin B 12 Deficiency
• Getting the Right Iron to Beat Pregnancy Anemia
• Ways to Handle Anemia During Pregnancy
• Herbal Remedies For Pregnancy Anemia

Did somebody tell you that you are looking prettier during pregnancy? Did your husband compliment you for your glowing skin? Isn’t it great to hear such nice things when you are expecting a baby? You should thank your blood circulation for that. Weird?

Your face turns brighter and shinier because of the increased blood flow and circulation (1). However, if there is not enough blood production in your body, you could have pale skin, and experience lethargy and weakness. This is the effect of anemia during pregnancy. But don’t worry as the condition is common, and a few changes in your nutritional requirements would solve the problem.

MomJunction is here to help you understand the different forms of primary anemia you may develop during pregnancy and how you can ease them.

What Is Anemia?

Anemia is a low count of red blood cells or a low level of hemoglobin (an iron-rich protein responsible for the color of RBCs). The condition is more common in pregnancy than during normal times as the demand for iron is high, especially in the second and third trimesters. Your body needs to produce more blood to support the growth and development of the fetus (2).

The RBCs are manufactured in the bone marrow and live up to four months. The deficiency occurs due to their reduced production or excess loss. The body needs healthy levels of iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid to produce the cells in high numbers. Lack of any of these components will lead to anemia.

Mild anemia in pregnancy is common, but if the levels are very low, it can lead to many complications such as preterm delivery, low birth weight, postpartum depression or a baby with anemia. It can also cause developmental delays in children.

There are different kinds of anemia, and you can be affected by a few of them.

[ Read: Causes Of Postpartum Anemia ]

Types Of Anemia During Pregnancy:

Did you know that there are around 400 types of anemia? But only a few of them happen during pregnancy. The three most prevalent forms are:

• Iron-deficiency anemia
• Folate-deficiency anemia
• Vitamin B12 deficiency

Iron-Deficiency Anemia During Pregnancy:

The most common form of anemia develops when your body does not have sufficient iron to make hemoglobin. This protein of red blood cells carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of your body. If you have anemia, then the blood cannot carry enough oxygen due to lack of iron (3).

What causes iron deficiency anemia?

During pregnancy, you require double the amount of iron than you usually need. It is necessary to make more blood and supply oxygen to the developing fetus. The recommended amount of iron during pregnancy is 27mg per day. Anemia occurs if you are not providing the body with sufficient amounts of iron.

What are your chances of getting iron deficiency anemia? Check for these risk factors.

The risk factors of iron deficiency anemia:

You are at a risk if you are positive to these factors:

• A short gap between pregnancies
• Frequent vomitings due to morning sickness
• Having a diet low in iron-rich foods and vitamin C (helps in iron absorption) foods
• Carrying more than one fetus
• Heavy pre-pregnancy menstrual periods
• History of anemia before pregnancy
• Eating excess of foods that affect iron absorption (dairy, soy, tea, coffee)
• Getting pregnant before 20 years of age
• Having intestinal and stomach disorders which affect the body’s ability to absorb nutrients
• Prior surgeries such as gastric bypass surgery, which affects the absorption capacity and gut
• Certain medications which affect the way your body system absorbs iron
• Loss of blood during the previous labor

What are the symptoms of anemia during pregnancy?

The mild anemic condition will not have any symptoms. Fatigue is what you would notice. As tiredness is a common symptom during pregnancy, you may not realize that it is due to the lack of iron in your body.

Moderate to severe anemia will have these symptoms:

• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Headache
• Palpitations
• Pale complexion
• Poor concentration or irritability
• Chest pain
• Leg cramping
• Cold hands and feet
• Soft lips, oral cavity, and inner eyelids
• Glossy tongue
• Cracks in the mouth corners
• Spoon-shaped nails
• Cravings for non-food items (pica) or ice

[ Read: Benefits Of Iron During Pregnancy ]

How about the diagnosis?

During your prenatal checkups, the health care provider will look into your medical history and perform these blood tests for anemia:

• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Hematocrit (Hct) to check the percentage of RBCs
• Hemoglobin (Hgb) levels

In the first and third trimesters – Hct levels less than 33%, and Hgb less than 11gm per deciliter (dL) of blood detects anemia.

In the second trimester – Hct levels less than 32%, and Hgb levels less than 10.5gm per deciliter of blood (4).

What are the complications of iron deficiency anemia?

If anemia is severe and left untreated, it can lead to serious problems in pregnancy.

• Low levels of iron can make you feel tired quickly. You need to take extra care for the added strain.

• If mild iron-deficiency anemia goes untreated, it may turn severe and increase the risk of a low birth weight baby.

• As mentioned earlier, it increases the risk of newborn death, stillbirth, premature birth and postpartum depression (5).

How to treat/prevent iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy?

Your health care provider will suggest you include iron supplements and modify your eating habits.

• Consume iron-rich foods such as shrimp, turkey, beef, beans, lentils and breakfast cereals.

• Foods that improve iron absorption include strawberries, orange juice, grapefruit, peppers, and broccoli.

• Have a small snack along with the iron supplement.

• Iron supplements can help improve your condition. But in severe cases where your Hb levels fall beyond 6gm/dL, IV iron supplements or a blood transfusion would work. If this, too, does not work, you may have to see a hematologist to understand the actual cause.

Avoid foods that affect your iron absorption capacity:

• Polyphenols found in spinach, nuts, berries, cereals, legumes and broccoli inhibit the absorption of iron.

• Phytates found in beans and grains also affect the iron absorption ability of your body.

• Tannins present in tea would reduce your iron absorption capacity to 50%.

• Calcium lowers the iron absorption by 50-60%

• Iron-fortified breakfast cereals along with milk are another enemy of iron.

Folate Deficiency Anemia:

This is another common form of anemia in pregnancy. If folate is deficient in your blood, it causes folic acid deficiency anemia. During pregnancy, you need extra folate (vitamin B9) to make new red blood cells. But in folate deficiency anemia, the RBCs are abnormally large, and these cells are called megalocytes (or megaloblasts). Shortage of folic acid results in congenital disability of the brain or spinal cord (6) in the baby.

What causes folic deficiency anemia?

The recommended amount of folate is 600mcg per day. Amounts lower than these can lead to folic-deficiency anemia (7).

Your body system becomes slower in absorbing folate during pregnancy. Moreover, the fetus consumes all the folic acid that is present in the body for its growth and development. Morning sickness, which leads to vomiting, can also deprive you of folic acid.

What are the risk factors?

The risk factors for folic deficiency anemia include:

• Consuming over-cooked foods
• Taking a diet low in vitamins
• Medical conditions such as sickle cell anemia
• Over consumption of alcohol (interferes with absorption of folate)
• Having severe kidney problems which require dialysis
• Usage of certain medications for rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and seizures

[ Read: Dizziness During Pregnancy ]

Symptoms of folate deficiency anemia:

The most common symptoms you may notice are:

• Weakness and fatigue
• Lightheadedness
• Feeling irritable and bad-tempered
• Forgetfulness
• Loss of appetite
• Trouble in concentrating
• Weakness in the muscles
• Soreness of the tongue
• Depression

How about the diagnosis?

Your health care provider will examine thoroughly and asks about your past health conditions. She will perform two major tests:

• CBC
• Measurement of serum folate

If the CBC shows macrocytic cells or abnormal RBCs, and serum folate gives low levels, then it is folate deficiency anemia.

[ Read: Benefits Of Folic Acid During Pregnancy ]

What are the complications of folate deficiency anemia?

Folate deficiency can increase the chances of several complications in the newborn:

• Neural tube defects
• Low birth weight
• Stillbirth
• Damage to the nervous system and the brain

How to treat/prevent folate deficiency anemia during pregnancy?

Your health care provider will figure out the best treatment, and it includes –

• Folic acid supplementation, oral or IV

• Dietary changes, including more of green leafy veggies and citrus fruits

• Take fortified foods such as cereals, legumes, and melons

• Take about 0.4mg of a folic acid tablet every day as prescribed by your doctor. If you have been diagnosed with spina bifida in the growing fetus, you may have to take 4mg every day (8).

[ Read: How To Prevent Depression During Pregnancy ]

Vitamin B 12 Deficiency:

Vitamin B12 is another essential vitamin used in the production of red blood cells. Folate and vitamin B12 deficiency mostly come together.

What causes vitamin B12 deficiency anemia?

According to the US National Institute of Health (NIH), pregnant women require 2.6mcg of vitamin B12 every day. If you do not get enough vitamin B12 from your diet, you cannot produce the essential RBCs (9).

The main causes of this form of deficiency include:

• Malabsorption from food (abnormality in absorption of food nutrients)
• Post-surgical malabsorption
• Pernicious anemia (if a body cannot absorb enough vitamin B12)
• Diet low in poultry, meat, eggs and dairy products

What are the risk factors?

• Your chances of vitamin B12 deficiency anemia are high if you have:
  • Celiac or Crohn’s disease, in which a part of the bowel loses its vitamin-absorbing ability.
  • Undergone a bariatric surgery

[ Read: Vitamin B Complex During Pregnancy ]

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency:

You can identify vitamin B12 deficiency with these symptoms:

• Weakness
• Tiredness
• Lightheadedness
• Shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat
• Sore tongue and pale skin
• Bleeding gums
• Diarrhea and constipation
• Stomach upset

[ Read: Is It Safe Meat During Pregnancy ]

What are the complications of vitamin B12 deficiency anemia?

A deficiency of this vitamin leads to several adverse complications for you and your baby.

• You are likely to suffer from intrauterine growth retardation, preterm labor, and preeclampsia.

• Your baby might be born with neurological or developmental delays

How to treat/prevent vitamin B12 deficiency anemia during pregnancy?

• Foods that improve vitamin B12 absorption include liver, beef, clams, meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products.

• Your doctor may prescribe vitamin B12 supplements.

• If you are a vegan, you may have to take vitamin B12 shots with the consent of your doctor.

Other Causes Of Anemia:

Some other factors that could lead to anemia are:

• Excess loss of blood: This may happen due to several reasons such as implantation bleeding, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy (embryo implants outside the uterus), and uterine rupture.

• Dialysis: Renal disorder and kidney failure that require a dialysis (a procedure to remove wastes and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys stop working properly) will lead to anemia.

• Inherited blood conditions such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia.

With anemia having a long-lasting effect on you and the baby, you need to take ample care to replenish the vitamins and iron in your body.

Natural Foods For Anemia During Pregnancy:

The natural ways to combat anemia include:

1. Eat red meat: It is one of the best natural sources if iron. Ground beef contains 0.6mg per ounce and beef liver 1.4mg (10). Though raw spinach offers 0.8mg, it falls under non-heme iron foods, which are hard to absorb. Moreover, the polyphenols present in spinach lower the absorption of iron (11).

2. Have liver pills: If you do not like the taste of chicken and beef liver, frozen pieces are a good alternative. Freeze the liver for at least 14 days, defrost it slightly and then cut them into small chunks or make a smoothie.

3. Try molasses: This is another good choice to improve iron levels. Moreover, it can add an iconic flavor to gingerbread, coffee, and other foods.

4. Vitamin C foods: It helps in absorbing iron from non-heme food sources. Therefore, include oranges, citrus fruits, bell peppers, sweet lime, strawberries, broccoli, tomatoes, and kiwi in your meals.

Sip on some freshly prepared lemon juice or treat on juicy oranges and sweet limes for improved iron absorption. You can also squeeze some lemon juice over your salad and make it appetizing.

[ Read: Vitamin C During Pregnancy ]

Other Ways To Handle Anemia During Pregnancy:

Here are some of the best ways to control anemia during pregnancy:

• If you are a non-vegetarian, go for animal foods as they contain high biological value proteins.

• A severe form of anemia may require blood transfusions, to ensure the safety of both you and your baby.

• Try to have beetroot and apple juice as they are excellent sources of iron. Blend beetroot and apple juice to make it appetizing.

• Have ripe bananas with honey to boost your hemoglobin levels.

• You can also have dandelion root and amaranth greens, which are also rich in iron.

• Try to have most of these foods raw because cooking can destroy the iron content.

• Cooking in cast iron pots can add 50-60% of iron to the food.

Herbal Remedies For Pregnancy Anemia:

Herbs are another choice to fight anemia, but you should check with your OB/GYN before trying them. The components present in the herbs help to keep your body healthy. Following are two simple recipes, which are quite useful in treating anemia during pregnancy and post delivery.

Recipe 1: Taken from Susun S. Weed’s book “Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year.”

You will need:

• A half ounce each of nettle leaves, parsley leaves, comfrey leaves, peppermint leaves and yellow dock root.

How to:

1. Put all the herbs in a half-gallon glass jar.
2. Add boiling water up to the brim, and close it tight.
3. Let the mixture steep for about eight hours.
4. You can drink the mixture that makes up to four cups.

Nettle, parsley and yellow dock are the excellent sources of iron. Parsley supplies folic acid, and comfrey vitamin B12. All the green herbs are good sources of vitamin C. Mint adds up the taste. Continue taking the herbal brew for one week every month.

Recipe 2: Suggested by Dr. Sharol Marie Tilgner in the book “Herbal Medicine From the Heart of the Earth.”

You will need:

• Equal proportions of dried nettle, yellow dock, dandelion, alfalfa leaves and lemon grass.

How to:

1. Fill a glass jar with one-third of the dried herbs, and the remaining with vinegar up to the brim.
2. Leave about half an inch on the top.
3. Close the lid tightly and keep it closed for three weeks.
4. Shake the glass jar every day.
5. You can take about 60 drops of this tincture before every meal for iron absorption.

Tips to remember:

1. Follow a balanced diet. Do not go on crash or fad diet during this delicate time. Such diets can lead to anemia.

2. Check your hemoglobin levels before conceiving. Bring your levels to normal and then conceive. If the pregnancy is an unplanned one, work on your hemoglobin concentrations in the first three months.

3. Opt for supplementation if your levels are very low. Consult a doctor and follow the recommendations.

Anemia is manageable as long as you are on a strict diet and supplementation. But if you ignore and do not get treated for the condition, then it can expose both you and the baby to severe health conditions. The longer the fetus is exposed to anemia, the greater are the risks involved.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What is physiological anemia during pregnancy?

One of the prime causes of anemia during pregnancy is hemodilution. This occurs when the plasma volume of blood increases, causing a low count of hematocrit (ratio of the volume of red blood cells to the total volume of blood) and hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blood). This may result in lower hemoglobin concentration. The plasma helps carry nutrients and oxygen to the baby. The excess plasma dilutes the red blood cells in the body and lowers the level to 10.5gm/dl resulting in physiological anemia in pregnancy (12).

Do you have anything to share about anemia during pregnancy? You can write them in the comment section below.

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