Everyone needs a balanced diet that includes each food group. Even more so for a pregnant woman, because she needs to provide all the construction materials for her developing baby. Iron is an essential element to optimise the baby’s development and growth during pregnancy, and they get it from their mother. So you should know that diet is critical during the preparation for birth.
In this article:
What does iron do during pregnancy?
Iron is an integral component a future mother needs to absorb to avoid pregnancy anemia. It serves to transport oxygen in the blood to the body’s issues to fulfill their functions—growth, infection resistance, healing, and in pregnancy, provide oxygenation to the fetus in utero.
If the future mother isn’t getting enough iron, she may feel severe fatigue and exhaustion due to the progressive arrival of anemia. She may be paler and more sensitive to infections, as her condition weakens her immune system. Also, don’t forget that the pregnant woman who lacks iron in her system during pregnancy is at greater risk of pre-eclampsia in the last trimester, as well as postnatal hemorrhage requiring blood transfusions. It is also more likely that the baby will be stunted or born prematurely at a lower weight than expected.
Pregnancy is a period of high growth when iron needs increase to meet those of both mother and baby. Due to the increase in a pregnant woman’s blood volume and plasma by 40 to 50%, there is an automatic physiological dilution of red blood cells (erythrocytes) which, although increasing in number by 15 to 20%, do not grow at the same rate as blood volume. This condition limits the transport of iron in the blood, sometimes leading to anemia. To compensate for this change due to motherhood, women need to take more iron.
It’s difficult to meet the desired amounts only through diet. This is why we suggest that pregnant women take daily iron supplements in multivitamins containing between 16 mg and 20 mg of iron. This is in addition to a diet rich in iron to meet the 27 mg daily requirement during pregnancy.
During blood tests carried out during pregnancy, the physician will prescribe a more concentrated oral iron supplement, if necessary only.
If a pregnant woman suffers from severe or late anemia (34 weeks or more) and cannot tolerate additional iron by mouth, intravenous treatment may be necessary to prevent potential consequences for mother and baby.
Updated article : june, 2024.
If you would like some hints to increase your iron, go to the next article How Can You Increase Iron Absorption?
