With noncritical hemoglobin, anemia during pregnancy is considered almost a physiological state. But quite often, it can provoke undesirable consequences for the health of both the woman and the fetus she carries.
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Causes of Anemia during Pregnancy
During the period of bearing a child, the load on the woman’s body significantly increases, so the need for iron increases sharply. Due to a significant increase in the volume of circulating blood, the concentration of red blood cells decreases markedly. Blood becomes "liquid", which is why hemoglobin also drops.
If in a normal state a healthy woman needs about 2.5 mg of iron per day, then during pregnancy this figure is already almost 6 mg.
Consumption increases in the second trimester, when the fetus starts the process of hematopoiesis. Further there will be childbirth and lactation, which will also entail significant costs of iron, so the situation cannot be ignored. In the second half of pregnancy, hydremia is diagnosed 40 times more often than in the early stages.
Even in the case of good nutrition, the body cannot absorb more than 3 mg in 24 hours, so iron deficiency is almost inevitable. By the end of pregnancy, the reserves of this element are almost completely consumed, and for their full recovery it takes about 2 years.
Doctors say that in recent years, the frequency of this pathological condition has increased by about 5 times. This is directly related to the deterioration of the overall environmental situation and unbalanced nutrition.
But there are still a lot of factors that can lead to this condition:
- frequent deliveries at short intervals;
- chronic diseases of the digestive tract, accompanied by bleeding;
- vegetarian commitment;
- miscarriages, complications and bleeding during or after delivery;
- hypotension;
- gynecological problems with a history of too long and heavy periods;
- young age (up to 17 years), as well as primiparas over 30;
- pregnancy on the background of still ongoing lactation;
- multiple pregnancy;
- exacerbations of various chronic diseases.
Women at risk should be especially careful about the prevention of anemia.
Iron deficiency anemia of pregnant women is sometimes accompanied by anemia of a different nature. In such cases, patients need consultation and constant monitoring by a hematologist.
Degrees of disease
The norm of hemoglobin in a non-pregnant woman should not fall below 120 g / l. For expectant mothers, the lower limit is 110 g / l.
Degrees of Anemia:
- the first (light) - over 91;
- the second (average) - from 71 to 90;
- the third (heavy) is below 70.
I degree is dangerous not so much as the state of the body, but as a direct prerequisite for the development of more severe stages.
If anemia of degrees I and II can be eliminated in a short time without any special consequences for the fetus, then stage III is very dangerous, as it leads to serious complications, and requires immediate treatment.
Consequences for the child
Iron plays a huge role in normal blood formation, tissue respiration, metabolic processes, the formation of immunity, which is very important for both mother and baby. For any disorders in this area, pathological processes develop in the uterus and placenta, which lead to a delay in the development of the fetus due to its lack of nutrients and oxygen (hypoxia). All this negatively affects the development of the brain and the formation of the baby's immunity.
Such children can then noticeably lag behind in mental and physical development even despite the fact that by that time their blood counts were already normalizing. In addition to this, in the first years of life, such babies often suffer from various acute respiratory viral infections and allergic reactions.
Pregnant women with anemia risk giving birth prematurely, they may experience a miscarriage or detachment of the placenta. Of the remaining complications, gestosis and hypotension are most common. This is all very dangerous, so health workers recommend treating this condition in any case.
Symptoms and signs of the disease
Signs of hydraemia are directly related to impaired “cellular respiration” of tissues and metabolic processes.
Symptoms of anemia during pregnancy look like this:
- weakness;
- fatigue
- various sleep disorders;
- dizziness;
- noise or ringing in the ears;
- headache;
- heart palpitations;
- pallor of the face;
- fainting
- yellowness of the palms;
- dryness and cracking of the skin and nails;
- hair loss;
- jamming and cracking in the corners of the lips;
- strange food cravings.
The well-being of every woman with the same indicators can vary greatly. With hemoglobin of 90 mg / g, someone already faints, while someone feels great and does not complain about anything.
Diagnostic measures
Anemia in pregnant women is diagnosed quite easily. Most often, it is detected by chance during the next general blood test. This is due to the fact that with a slight decrease in the level of hemoglobin, there may not be any characteristic symptoms, since at first the body tries to compensate for the deficiency in every way. Also, very often women do not pay attention to the first alarming signs, believing that this is a common condition during pregnancy.
In rare cases, additional examinations and consultations of specialized specialists may be required, especially in the presence of concomitant diseases.
Methods for treating anemia in pregnant women
With a mild degree, expectant mothers are prescribed outpatient treatment.II and III stages are treated in a hospital.
Most often, pregnant women are prescribed iron preparations or iron-containing complexes for oral administration (Ferrocal, Konferon, Kheferol, Tardiferon). They are safe for the fetus, therefore, are universally prescribed for the treatment of hydremia.
Medicines are available in the form of tablets or capsules. For prevention, it is often enough to drink 1 unit per day, for treatment - 2. It is not recommended to independently stop taking it, even if the indicators have returned to normal. Expectant mothers expect childbirth with inevitable blood loss, as well as lactation. All this can easily lead to a relapse.
The effectiveness of iron absorption largely depends on what kind of food the iron-containing drug enters the body. Therefore, if a pregnant woman takes the medicine in the morning, she should not drink it with milk, have breakfast with green leafy vegetables, milk porridges, boiled eggs or omelettes, since they make it difficult to assimilate the element.
List of products that impair iron absorption:
- cereals;
- tea;
- spinach;
- milk;
- cheese and cottage cheese;
- the eggs.
Injections are used extremely rarely and only in very severe cases, when the patient has disturbances in the normal absorption of iron, continuous nausea and vomiting. Intravenous administration of medicines has many contraindications and side effects.
Diet food
Treating anemia is unthinkable without a special diet.
Food should contain in sufficient quantities all the elements and vitamins necessary for a complete blood formation process:
- Iron. Together with food, the body can absorb no more than half of the received element (and this applies only to meat products). From plant foods, it is absorbed much worse.
- Vitamin C. It is she who helps to absorb iron from plant products to the maximum. Keep in mind that vitamin C is destroyed by heat treatment, so vegetables and fruits with a high content of this substance must be eaten fresh.
The diet must include pork and veal liver, turkey, veal, legumes, egg yolks, fish, cottage cheese, pomegranates, apples. It is good to drink a rosehip broth and pomegranate juice.
Contrary to popular belief, meat is most needed for the female body. And this applies not only to the period of pregnancy. During menstruation, a woman loses a lot of blood, which is why hemoglobin inevitably decreases.
Food should be varied. Often, expectant mothers with anemia do not have a good appetite, as they have reduced secretory function of the stomach. To stimulate appetite, you need to drink broths, diversify the usual dishes with sauces, as well as salt and season the food to taste (if there is no edema).
Meals should be five meals a day: full breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as 2 light snacks. Before going to bed, you can drink a glass of any sour-milk drink.
Of course, it is also better to exclude various allergens, sweets and muffins from the diet. The former may lead to the development of allergic reactions in the unborn child, the latter to weight gain.
Prognosis for recovery
Treatment with a long but timely correction can improve blood counts and prevent the development of complications. The level of red blood cells in the blood begins to rise gradually only after 3 weeks, and returns to normal after 2 - 3 months. But still, the pregnant woman feels better almost immediately.
If during the period of pregnancy it was not possible to achieve a complete cure, the administration of drugs should be continued after childbirth, but of course, on the advice of a doctor.
Preventive measures
Gestational anemia is treated for a long time.
Therefore, it is better to pay attention to this in advance and observe the following preventive measures:
- It is reasonable to prepare for the upcoming planned pregnancy (to undergo an examination, a course of vitaminization and an increase in hemoglobin if necessary);
- eat right (the menu should have enough meat, as well as vegetables and fruits);
- take preventive preparations of iron prescribed by your doctor.
Attentiveness to your own health helps to prevent a lot of possible problems.
