Iron Deficiency Anemia
How might anemia affect me?
Tiredness
Paleness
Dizziness
Heart palpitations
Shortness of breath
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Hair loss
Constipation
Slow healing
General weakness
Susceptibility to infection
Desire to eat non-foods (Pica): ice, clay, paint, dirt, etc.
Being anemic does not predispose you to a postpartum hemorrhage, but it can worsen its impact. Anemic people take longer to recover in the postpartum, and experience more difficulties coping due to excessive tiredness and weakness. Ideally, the aim in pregnancy should not only be to avoid anemia, but to reach optimal hemoglobin levels so that your postpartum transition is as easy as possible.
How can anemia affect my baby?
During the last six weeks of pregnancy, the baby stores iron in its liver to supplement its needs for the first three to six months of life. Like other nutrients, your body prioritizes the baby’s needs over your own, thus it is rare that the baby will develop iron-deficiency anemia unless you are severely iron deficient.
What causes iron-deficiency anemia?
The cause of anemia in the large majority of cases is nutritional deficiency. Anemia may also occur as a result of illness, or blood loss such as can occur at birth.
Iron depletion is common because people lose blood every month through menstruation. It is estimated that one third to one half of people begin their pregnancies with low iron, and about 1 in 10 of these people are already anemic.
Growing a healthy baby increases our iron requirements. In addition, in mid-pregnancy the amount of blood volume increases rapidly, peaking around 28-32 weeks. Because the blood plasma increases before the blood hemoglobin, this causes the relative concentration of hemoglobin to drop temporarily. This is normal and is referred to as hemodilution.
How is anemia diagnosed?
Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common problem of pregnancy. It is recommended that all clients be tested for anemia at their first prenatal visit, and then again around 28-32 weeks or as symptoms arise. A simple blood draw will check the hemoglobin concentration in the blood, as well as the amount of iron stored in the liver as ferritin (think of this as the “backup” reservoir). If diagnosed with nutritional anemia, it is recommended to begin iron supplementation and have follow-up testing after 3-4 weeks of treatment.
What are my options for treatment?
Prevention
If you are not anemic, a nutritious diet high in iron-rich foods will help keep you that way. An example of foods that are rich in iron include red meat, and green leafy vegetables. Regular exercise can also help prevent or treat anemia, because it helps increase the body’s oxygen carrying capacity. Try Anemia Prevention Tea.
If you are taking multivitamins, it is important to remember that these should be in addition to, not a substitute for, a nutritious diet. Although multivitamin supplements for pregnant clients all contain iron, this iron frequently causes side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, heartburn and/or constipation leading to worse nutrition habits! As well, the iron in multivitamins is usually blocked from being absorbed by the calcium and zinc content.
Iron overload can be toxic, causing liver damage. Women who are not anemic or who have thalassemia should not take iron supplements.
Mild anemia
Treatment depends on how severe your anemia is, what other approaches you may have already tried, and what your body tolerates. For mild anemia, therapies with herbs and nutrition may work well. You could try Floradix (take double the recommended dose).
Moderate or symptomatic anemia
For more moderate anemia, it is traditionally recommended that women take iron supplements, such as Feramax or ferrous gluconate (this is harder on the stomach and digestive system, but is relatively inexpensive). Don't take iron supplements with coffee, black tea or milk/milk products – they impair absorption. Taking a Vitamin B12 is also a good idea for maximum absorption!
Iron-rich foods
HEME iron is found only in animal sources and is absorbed more easily than NON-HEME iron, which is found in vegetable sources. Regardless, both types of iron are valuable, and may be absorbed effectively to boost iron levels.
Click here for heme & non-heme iron sources
Increasing iron absorption
Do not take calcium or zinc supplements at the same time as iron, since they combine in the intestine and prevent absorption. Consume concentrated sources of calcium at different times than iron sources.
Eating foods high in vitamin C with your iron will increase absorption.
Cooking in cast-iron will aid in increasing hemoglobin levels.
Minimize caffeinated tea and coffee, or drink between meals only – the polyphenols decrease iron absorption
Combine heme and non-heme sources of iron in the same meal.
Natural/Alternative Treatments:
Take Vitamin B12 supplementation with iron to help with anemia. You need Vitamin B12 to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen through your body. Not having enough Vitamin B12 can lead to anemia. This can make you very week and tired. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause damage to your nerves and can affect memory and thinking. As the anemia gets worse, you may:
Feel weak, tired, and light-headed
Have pale skin
Have a sore, red tongue or bleeding gums
Feel sick to your stomach and lose weight
Have diarrhea or constipation
If the level of vitamin B12 stays low for a long time, it can damage nerve cells with the following:
Numbness or tingling in your fingers and toes
A poor sense of balance
Depression
A decrease in mental abilities
The level of folic acid (folate), another B vitamin, could be checked too. Some people whose vitamin B12 levels are too low also have low levels of folic acid. The two problems can cause similar symptoms. But they are treated differently.
Improving Low Platelets:
Beet Powder may also be used to increase blood Hgb and Platelets. See iron chart. There is a supplement called Mega Foods Blood Builder that some clients highly recommend.
Others have suggested chlorophyll, floridex and nettle infusions, or molasses (2 tbsp with lemon juice).
Here are the top ways to increase a low platelet count naturally:
1. Papaya
Both the papaya fruit and its leaves can help increase a low platelet count within just a few days. In 2009, researchers at the Asian Institute of Science and Technology in Malaysia found that papaya leaf juice can increase the platelet count of people diagnosed with dengue fever.
Eat ripe papaya or drink a glass of papaya juice with a little lemon juice 2 or 3 times daily.
You can also pound a few papaya leaves without the stalk using a pestle and mortar to extract the juice. Drink 2 tablespoons of this bitter juice 2 times a day.
2. Wheatgrass
According to a 2011 study published in International Journal of Universal Pharmacy and Life Sciences, wheatgrass can be beneficial in increasing platelet count.
In fact, it can produce significant increases in hemoglobin, red blood cell, total white blood cell and differential white blood cell counts. This happens because wheatgrass is high in chlorophyll with a molecular structure almost identical to the hemoglobin molecule in human blood.
Simply drink ½ cup of wheatgrass juice mixed with a little lemon juice daily.
3. Pumpkin
Pumpkin is another helpful food to improve your low platelet count. It is rich in vitamin A that helps support proper platelet development. It also regulates the proteins produced in the cells, which is important to raise the platelet level.
In ½ glass of fresh pumpkin juice, add 1 teaspoon of honey and drink it 2 or 3 times a day.
Also, include pumpkin in your diet by adding pumpkin puree to soups, stews, smoothies and baked goods.
4. Spinach
Spinach is a good source of vitamin K which is often used to help treat low platelet disorder. Vitamin K is required for proper blood clotting. Thus, it reduces the risk of excessive bleeding.
Boil 4 or 5 leaves of fresh spinach in 2 cups of water for a few minutes. Allow it to cool, and mix in 1/2 glass of tomato juice. Drink it 3 times a day.
Also, enjoy this green vegetable in salads, green smoothies, side dishes or soups.
5. Vitamin C
To increase your platelet count, you need to increase your intake of vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid. A study published in 1990 in the Japanese Journal of Hematology stated that vitamin C improves platelet count.
Being a powerful antioxidant, high doses of vitamin C also prevent free-radical mediated damage of the platelets. Your body requires 400-2,000 mg of vitamin C per day, depending on your age and overall health.
Eat foods high in vitamin C like lemons, oranges, tomatoes, cantaloupes, kiwi, spinach, bell peppers and broccoli.
You may also take vitamin C in supplement form daily, but only after consulting your doctor.
6. Indian Gooseberries
A popular Ayurvedic remedy to raise your platelet count is Indian gooseberries, also known as amla. The vitamin C in amla can help increase the production of platelets and boost your immune system.
Eat 3 to 4 gooseberries on an empty stomach every morning.
Alternatively, mix together 2 tablespoons each of amla juice and honey. Drink it 2 or 3 times daily.
You can also eat homemade jam or pickles made with fresh Indian gooseberries.