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Iron deficiency anaemia is widespread among children and women of all ages, but especially among those who are still menstruating. At least 20% of women are iron deficient during their lifetime. Anaemia in pregnancy is a common condition that can occur as a result of decreased haemoglobin levels in the blood. This causes excessive fatigue as well as other unpleasant symptoms.
Find out with Barza, in the following article, how you can prevent, but also how to detect iron deficiency during pregnancy!
What is anaemia: risk factors for women
Iron deficiency anaemia occurs when your blood has too few functional red blood cells, due to insufficient iron in the body. Iron is an important component of haemoglobin. As a result, the blood can no longer carry the same amount of oxygen to the tissues. This can affect the way your nerves and muscles work, the way your cells work and trigger symptoms of severe fatigue.
In general, you will be more prone to anemia if:
- you have a vegetarian or vegan diet;
- you suffer from celiac disease or Crohn’s disease;
- you’ve had stomach-shrinking surgery.
During pregnancy, you will be more prone to iron deficiency anaemia if:
- you have two consecutive births within a short time of each other;
- you have a twin pregnancy;
- you have frequent vomiting due to morning sickness;
- not getting enough iron from food and prenatal supplements;
- you had heavy periods before pregnancy.
Signs and symptoms in iron deficiency anaemia
The main signs and symptoms are:
- pallor;
- headaches;
- faster heart rate, during pregnancy or after heavy periods;
- chest pain;
- tiredness/weakness;
- dizziness;
- headaches;
- low exercise tolerance;
- brittle nails.
If you have found out that you are pregnant and have some of the symptoms listed above, you can resort to usinga quick SELF CARE DIAGNOSTICanaemia screening test that is simple and easy to do at home.
The quick test for anaemia, simple and easy to do at home
The quick test for anaemia is a specific test for assessing ferritin (a protein that can store iron in cells). The test can be done at any time of the day by taking a drop of blood from your finger, which you drip into the device’s absorption port. Thus, in just 10 minutes, the test fast for anemia can cause possible iron deficiencies in your body.
After following all the steps in the leaflet and waiting for the specified time to pass, you should know that the result is very easy to interpret. The appearance of a single line below the C (control) mark indicates a low concentration of ferritin in the blood. This means that the result is positive and in this case the ferritin level in the blood is practically lower than the reference value (20ng/L).
It is therefore important to seek medical advice to get guidance on the appropriate treatment!
The rapid test for anaemia is also available in pharmacies in your town.
The importance of nutrition during pregnancy
Don’t forget that it’s important to eat a healthy, balanced diet rich in iron and vitamin C, as these nutrients are essential for the production of haemoglobin. Learn more about recommended foods in pregnancy!
At the same time, it’s ideal to take into account the recommendations that specialists make to future mothers. It is beneficial to take iron supplements during pregnancy on their advice to prevent anaemia.