During pregnancy your blood volume increases and yet
you can be anemic. This is because the production
of red blood cells is not in pace with plasma that
is also being produced. Anemia is usually most common
in the later part of pregnancy
What causes this
• Anemia is most often caused by iron deficiency
• You can also develop anemia when you lack
in vitamin B12 and folic acid
• Blood loss can also be a cause
• Inherited blood disorders namely sickle-cell
anemia or thalassemia can trigger it
• Your pregnancies are closely spaced i.e. you
got pregnant barely 3-4 months after having your previous
baby
• Your heavy periods prior to pregnancy increases
your chances of developing anemia
• You have problems with iron absorption despite
eating iron rich foods therefore increasing your chances
with anemia
• Your pregnancy is not smooth-sailing hence
your eating habits are affected
Symptoms
The most common and obvious symptom is fatigue. But
since tiredness one of the main features of pregnancy,
it is hard to tell that the fatigue you are feeling
is caused by anemia. With that, you can say anemia
is symptom-free. Only a blood test is able to confirm
which you will have in your initial checkup and another
one will be between weeks 24 and 28. You are most
likely anemic if you notice these signs in addition
to tiredness:
• Feeling
faint and weak
• Shortness of breath
• Pale skin
• Dizzy spells
• Blurred vision
• Heart palpitations
• In the more severe situations craving for
ice and nonfood substances (pica) develops
To combat this, your doctor will prescribe iron supplements
and a diet with iron rich foods. Usually the side
effects are constipation and upset stomach but if
you don't take iron seriously, you will have to deal
with weakness and possibly blood transfusion during
delivery.
