Anemia in pregnancy – all the risks of low hemoglobin

Anemia is the scientific name for a disease better known as anemia. But this name does not mean anything to the expectant mother. What is anemia (anemia), what are the signs of the disease, how is anemia during pregnancy dangerous for mom and baby?

Let’s figure it out in order.

See also: Treatment, diet for anemia in pregnant women.

The content of the article:

The degree of anemia in pregnant women

The body of a healthy person should contain at least three grams of iron, while most of the iron is part of hemoglobin. Anemia is a condition in which the body begins to experience lack of oxygen… The reason for this is that the amount of hemoglobin in erythrocytes decreases – a substance that is precisely responsible for oxygen transport…

Iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women develops due to sharply increasing need for iron, especially in the second and third trimesters, when the total need for this microelement increases to six milligrams per day. But despite the fact that the body, despite nutrition, is not able to absorb more than its norm – three milligrams of iron, the occurrence of anemia during pregnancy is inevitable. So mild anemia during pregnancy, as a diagnosis, is made by doctors to almost all expectant mothers.

Moreover, deterioration of the environment, food quality, the use of GMOs, preservatives and stabilizers in most of them led to an increase in iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy by 6 times, compared with the last decade.

Anemia in pregnant women can develop in different ways. And the degree of anemia during pregnancy depends on how the treatment will proceed…

Doctors distinguish three degrees of anemia in pregnant women, depending on the level of hemoglobin in the blood.

• Grade 1 (easy) – diagnosed with hemoglobin 110-91 g / l
• 2 degree (medium) – with hemoglobin 90-71 g / l
• Grade 3 (severe) – with hemoglobin below 70 g / l.

Features of each degree of anemia in pregnant women:

• Often mild anemia during pregnancy, the woman herself is not felt. And although grade 1 anemia does not cause any inconvenience or problems in pregnant women, timely diagnosis and treatment started on time will prevent the development of the disease, and therefore will save not only the mother, but also the newborn from health problems in the future.
• Anemia during pregnancy, grade 2 is already characterized by the appearance of a number of unpleasant sensations, since the lack of iron becomes more noticeable.
  Signs of grade 2 anemia during pregnancy:
  • dryness and hair loss;
  • Brittle nails, their deformation is possible;
  • Cracked mouth.

  Noticing one of these signs in herself, the expectant mother must definitely inform her doctor about it, since this condition already threatens the normal development of the baby.

• Third, severe anemia is very dangerous and requires urgent treatment in a hospital setting.

What can cause anemia in pregnant women?

In addition to the already mentioned reasons for low hemoglobin during pregnancy, anemia can be provoked and other reasons…

In particular, low hemoglobin in pregnant women can be if:

• The expectant mother has chronic diseases of internal organs and gastrointestinal bleeding;
• There are gynecological diseasesin which there were heavy and prolonged menstruation;
• Poor or unbalanced diet, in which iron in an insufficient amount enters the body; See: Nutrition rules for the expectant mother in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd trimesters of pregnancy.
• Complications during pregnancy: early or vice versa, late age of childbirth, multiple pregnancy, etc.;
• Hypotension (low blood pressure).

Symptoms and signs of anemia during pregnancy

Symptoms of anemia during pregnancy are manifested in different ways, depending on the severity of the disease, its stage, general condition health of the expectant mother.

• No symptoms grade 1 anemia during pregnancy – it is dangerous not so much as the state of the body, but as the threat of the development of the disease to more severe stages, which can negatively affect both the baby and the health of the expectant mother herself. Mild anemia is diagnosed only in laboratory, therefore, the analyzes should be treated not as an annoying formality that takes time, but with all responsibility.
• Second degree anemia already manifests itself in a certain symptomatology, which can be conditionally divided into two groups. Symptoms of general anemia in pregnant women associated with oxygen starvation of tissues and are characterized by the following features:
  • Weakness;
  • Severe fatigue;
  • Drowsiness;
  • Headaches, dizziness;
  • Fainting;
  • Deterioration of memory, attention;
  • Irritability is possible.

  The second group of symptoms of moderate anemia is associated specifically with iron deficiency anemia of pregnancy, the so-called sideropentic syndrome, which occurs when the functions of enzymes containing iron are dysfunctional. Its symptoms are manifested in the following signs:

  • Dry skin, cracks;
  • Dry and brittle hair, hair loss;
  • Changes in tastes, for example, the desire to eat chalk, etc.
• Grade 3 anemia has the same symptoms, but appear in a more severe form that threatens the health and development of the baby.

The consequences of anemia for mother and child

Low hemoglobin in pregnant women can cause irreversible consequences for a pregnant woman, as well as negatively affects the development of the baby…

Low hemoglobin during pregnancy leads to such consequences as:

• The development of gestosis as a result of a violation of protein metabolism;
• Placental insufficiency;
• Placental abruption;
• Premature birth;
• Bleeding during childbirth;
• Weak labor activity;
• Decreased immunity and other postpartum complications;
• Reducing the amount of milk, etc.

All these consequences cannot but affect the health and development of the baby. During pregnancy, low hemoglobin levels can lead to:

• Intrauterine fetal death;
• Slowing down and even stopping the development of the fetus;
• The development of defects in the baby is possible.

Iron deficiency anemia is a dangerous disease. Anemia can not always be cured only by changing the diet, so all the doctor’s prescriptions must be followed…

Read also: TOP 10 most useful products for a pregnant woman

The Colady.ru website warns: self-medication can harm your health! The diagnosis should be made only by a doctor after an examination. Therefore, if you find symptoms, be sure to contact a specialist!