Anemia in Pregnancy

Iron is essential for making hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to other cells. During pregnancy, the amount of blood in your body expands until you have almost 50 percent more than usual. And you need more iron to make more hemoglobin for all that additional blood. You also need extra iron for your growing baby and placenta.

PICA

Some pregnant women develop strong cravings for non-food items such as dirt, ashes, clay, chalk, ice, laundry starch, baking soda, soap, toothpaste, paint chips, plaster, wax, hair, coffee grounds, and even cigarette butts. This phenomenon is called pica.

How is anemia treated?

If your test indicates that you're anemic, your practitioner will prescribe an iron supplement of 60 to 120 mg a day or more. To make sure you absorb as much of the iron as possible, take your iron pills on an empty stomach. Wash them down with water or orange juice (the vitamin C helps with absorption) but not with milk (calcium hinders absorption).

Note that these doses refer to the amount of "elemental iron," or pure iron, in a supplement. Some labels list the amount of ferrous sulfate (a kind of iron salt) instead of or in addition to the amount of elemental iron. A supplement that contains 325 mg of ferrous sulfate will give you about 60 mg of elemental iron. Others use ferrous gluconate, 300 mg of which yields about 34 mg of elemental iron.

What can I do to prevent iron-deficiency?

Take your prenatal vitamin and eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of iron-rich foods. Red meat is your best bet, although poultry (dark meat), other meats, and shellfish are good sources, too. Non-animal iron-rich foods include beans, tofu, raisins, dates, prunes, figs, apricots, potatoes (leave the skins on), broccoli, beets, leafy green vegetables, whole-grain breads, and iron-fortified cereals. Keep in mind that your body absorbs the iron from animal sources (heme iron) much more readily than the iron from non-animal sources (non-heme iron).

One note of caution: Don't turn to liver for your iron needs. Liver is best avoided during pregnancy because it contains unsafe amounts of vitamin A, which can cause birth defects.