One of the health concerns that can face a pregnant woman is Anemia. An anemic person’s red blood cell count is low. The red blood cells are the cells that bring the oxygen from your lungs to the entire rest of your body. If your body doesn’t get enough oxygen, it can’t work as efficiently. People with anemia tend to fell tired and even lethargic much of the time.

Women who are pregnant often experience anemia. During pregnancy, a woman’s need for red blood cells is increased, as she has to supply oxygen not only to her own body, but to her baby’s developing body. Generally speaking your health care provider will want to test you for anemia a couple of times during pregnancy: at your first visit, and later on at about 26 weeks or so.

There are a few different things that can cause anemia. One of them is a deficiency of iron in your diet. Iron is used by the body in the process of creating red blood cells. Many pregnant women – some experts suggest the number is around 50% – don’t have enough iron. That’s why prenatal vitamins generally contain iron. Anemia can also be caused by a few different diseases, including thalassemia and sickle cell anemia.

The symptoms of anemia take a while to present themselves. As your anemia gets worse, however, you might experience symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, headache, pale skin, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, chest pains, numb hands or feet, shortness of breath and even irritability.

If you think you may be experiencing the symptoms of anemia, talk to your doctor. Your doctor will test your blood by doing a red blood cell count, and may wish to put you on a different prenatal vitamin with a higher iron content. It’s especially important that it be addressed, because if your baby doesn’t get enough iron while he’s developing in the womb, it can lead to a number of different birth defects.

Posted in Pregnancy

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