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Anemia is a common condition in pregnant women. The main reason behind this is during pregnancy the vitamins and iron requirement of a woman’s body increases.
The expecting mother must have an increased production of the red blood cells. Other than that the placenta and the fetus also require significant amount of iron supply, which can be taken only from the expecting mother.
For having adequate amount of erythrocytes, the boy of the pregnant women starts producing more plasma and erythrocytes. During this time i.e. when a woman is pregnant, the volume of blood in her body increases by approximately 50%. The amount of plasma on the other hand becomes excessively high. This makes the blood extremely dilute and eventually hemoglobin concentration of the expecting mother falls. According to medical experts, it is normal for a woman to have lowest hemoglobin concentration from week 25 to week 30 of pregnancy.
How will a pregnant woman know that she may have developed anemia? Generally, pregnant woman with good health don’t experience any significant symptom of anemia till her hemoglobin concentration drops below 8g/dl. The most common signs of anemia are paleness and tiredness. An anemic pregnant woman may also experience increase in her heartbeat, dizziness and breathlessness. If the pregnant woman develops severe form of anemia i.e. if her hemoglobin concentration drops below 6g/dl she may also suffer from angina or chest pain and headaches. The hemoglobin concentration is examined using a blood test known as serum ferritin.
For pregnant women suffering from anemia, gynaecologists may suggest regular intake of iron supplements. She may also need to take excess amounts of minerals and vitamins. You must be aware of the possible side effect of iron supplementation. The most disturbing after effects of these supplements are diarrhea and constipation. To avoid these side effects, you should start with small dosage of supplements and then increase the amount gradually.
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