Anemia And Pregnancy
Anemia and Pregnancy - A Normal Combination
While there is nothing "normal" about anemia, anemia and pregnancy often go together, with the latter being the cause of the former. A healthy and fit person is sometimes described as being "red-blooded". One of the requirements of good health is that our blood must contain a proper level of red blood cells (a normal blood count). If the blood count is too low, there will not be enough red blood cells to deliver proper amounts of oxygen to your body's organs, and remove waste products from those same organs. When this happens, you have a condition known as anemia.
Why anemia and pregnancy go together is simply because during pregnancy, the volume of blood in a woman increases significantly, sometimes nearly by 50%, and the blood count may lower as the number of red blood cells becomes somewhat diluted. This is a fairly common occurrence, called pregnancy anemia, and is normally not a cause for concern. Blood tests, taken during pregnancy, will tell if the blood count has fallen enough to be of concern, or whether there is any significant anemia at all. The blood tests analyze the hemoglobin, responsible for distributing oxygen throughout the body, and hemacrit, the percentage of red blood cells per unit volume. Anemia can also occur as a result of blood loss. There will be blood loss during and after delivery. Usually about 500 milliliters (about 1 pint) with a vaginal birth, and twice that amount with a cesarean delivery.
Iron deficiency anemia is the most common form of anemia occurring during pregnancy. As noted above, hemoglobin is the component of the blood responsible for distributing oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body, and iron is an essential element in the production of hemoglobin. A woman who has been on a healthy diet, both before and during pregnancy, will store up iron in her system. If not, a resulting iron deficiency will lead to the body's inability to make the hemoglobin it needs, in turn creating an anemic condition. A 50% increase in blood volume during the latter stages of pregnancy requires a corresponding increase in the amount of iron required to produce hemoglobin. Diet alone is not always adequate to meet this demand, and a daily supplement of iron is often needed. Iron deficiency anemia, during pregnancy, can very often be avoided not only by eating iron-rich foods, but also consuming foods rich in vitamin C, or taking vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C is found in many vegetables, as well as in citrus fruits, and makes it easier for the body to absorb iron.
Women, while pregnant, are also more susceptible to two other common causes of anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, and folate deficiency. Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia is most likely to occur when the woman is a vegetarian. If animal foods such as dairy products and meats are not made a part of the diet, vitamin B12 supplements may be needed during pregnancy. Vitamin B12 supplements are taken by injection. Folate deficiency often goes hand in hand with iron deficiency, as the same general foods are involved. Since an adequate supply of folate is very important to the baby, as well as to the mother, women are encouraged to take folate supplements (folic acid) not only during pregnancy, but during the course of their childbearing years.
There are of course other causes of anemia, many of them associated with diseases, but the types addressed here are by far the most common. Iron, vitamin B12, and folate deficiency should be treated, before pregnancy if necessary. These types of anemia can hopefully be kept to low levels or avoided altogether. We are then left with the anemia and pregnancy combo, in which the pregnancy itself is the principal cause. As we have said, this is a fairly normal situation, and generally not a cause for concern.