Iron Deficiency: Doctor Explains Why Anemia (Especially During Pregnancy) Should Be Taken More Seriously

Steph Bazzle

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When you first seek prenatal care, you’ll be referred for labs. You’ll have vial after vial of blood drawn for various tests to help ensure a healthy pregnancy. Then, if you’re like many women (statistics on this vary wildly, from 1 in 20 to as many as 1 in 3), you’ll be told you’re anemic. Will the next step be to do something about it, or will it be waved off as unimportant?

One doctor is sounding the alarm, saying that anemia should be taken more seriously in pregnancy, even when it’s mild, because of the potential for further problems.

Anemia Is Self-Perpetuating

Outside of pregnancy, anemia can be self-perpetuating in menstruating women. Moderate anemia can change periods, potentially making them longer, heavier, and more uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, the medical profession has a history of writing off women’s discomfort as something to just put up with, and in this (and other) cases, that can make things more serious because one thing that longer, heavier periods can lead to is, well, more and worse anemia.

Nonetheless, it’s common for doctors to write off mild anemia as nothing to worry about instead of addressing it before it becomes more acute.

Anemia In Pregnancy Is Common, Especially In Certain Groups

Numerous studies have counted rates of anemia during pregnancy, coming to different conclusions. The World Health Organization reports that in the U.S., between 5% and 20% of pregnancies are affected by anemia. The CDC looked at data from women who qualified for the WIC program for low-income families and found more than 1 in 10 pregnant participants showing some degree of anemia. A report in the Saudi Medical Journal found that more than half of pregnant women worldwide have an iron deficiency.

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While numbers are higher worldwide, even within the U.S., the stats can vary, particularly by demographic. Black women are the most affected by far, white women the least, with Hispanic, Native, and Asian & Pacific Islander populations falling in between. Income disparity also has an effect.

Negative Outcomes Can Include Premature Birth And Low Birth Weight

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Babies born to iron-deficient mothers have an increased risk of being born with iron deficiency themselves. The risk of premature birth and low birth weights is higher when the mother suffers uncorrected iron deficiency during pregnancy.

For the mother, there’s a higher risk of death while giving birth, thanks to the stresses that anemia puts on the circulatory system, according to Nebraska Med. She’s also at higher risk of infection, longer healing times after giving birth, and even post-partum depression and anxiety!

Dr. Elizabeth Lucal Weighs In on Anemia During Pregnancy

Writing for Motherly, Dr. Lucal expresses a lot of frustration with the medical system’s failure to take anemia in pregnant women seriously.

She says that when she hears this from her patients, it’s always in a nonchalant way. They say they’ve always had anemia, as though that means that it’s not very serious and not worth addressing. Dr. Lucal says this attitude is the fault of their doctors and how they’ve addressed it. While the condition is often treated as minor, she says:

“However, my patients’ experiences have taught me that this view is inaccurate and potentially dangerous. Why? Because iron deficiency—having too little iron in your body—is more than just a minor inconvenience. It’s the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide and can have serious health impacts, especially during pregnancy.”

Why Anemia During Pregnancy Matters

Dr. Lucal lists several essential things iron does in blood, like transporting oxygen. She says it’s necessary to create the energy the body relies on and DNA.

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There is a long list of issues that are often described as “symptoms” of anemia but that are health issues that can interfere with day-to-day life, like restless leg syndrome, fatigue, anxiety and depression, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath.

Why Are Women More Prone To Anemia?

Anemia Risks and Pregnancy
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Dr. Lucal says that women are at higher risk for iron-deficient anemia for several reasons, including diet and monthly blood loss from menstruation. When they enter pregnancy already showing signs of mild anemia, she says, the increased iron needs for the pregnancy exacerbate things.

She says that by the time the signs of anemia show, the patient has already been iron deficient for a while. This all suggests that addressing iron deficiency early, instead of dismissing it as “mild,” “common,” or “normal,” could prevent many of the adverse health outcomes.