Anemia in pregnancy - treatment

Iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy is a rather common phenomenon. However, even at the initial stages it requires taking measures, since it does not pass without a trace for the health of the mother and child.

Daily Iron Dose for Pregnant Women

Normally during the first three months of pregnancy, the level of iron consumption is equal to the level of loss of iron before pregnancy and is 2-3 mg. As the fetus grows, the need for iron increases. In the second trimester a woman needs 2-4 mg per day, in the third - 10-12 mg per day.

How to increase hemoglobin?

Treatment of anemia in pregnancy in the first stages is quite successful at home, whereas in anemia of 2 and 3 degrees in most cases, treatment is prescribed in the hospital, especially if a severe degree of anemia persists until the birth itself. Treatment of anemia should be comprehensive, with the mandatory appointment of an iron-containing diet, complete examination, determination of serum iron during pregnancy (test to assess iron metabolism in the body).

In case of anemia of 1 degree during pregnancy, in addition to diet, as a rule, the doctor prescribes iron preparations, vitamins (especially group B), folic acid. In severe cases, iron preparations are administered intravenously, and if necessary, the erythrocyte mass is transfused.

The main ways to treat anemia:

1. Nutrition - for pregnant women in the diet, products rich in iron are especially important: meat products, beef tongue, buckwheat, chicken eggs, apples, pomegranates, turkey meat.
2. Additional intake of iron-containing medicinal products (no more than 6% of iron is absorbed from the products, whereas drugs supply up to 30-40% of iron in the body). If the drugs are poorly tolerated by the body, what happens with a severe form of the disease and the body's resistance, iron is injected. It must be remembered that the treatment with iron is quite lasting. The results should be expected by the end of the third week. After normalizing the level of hemoglobin, you should not stop taking iron, you just need to reduce its dose by 2 times and continue taking it for 2-3 more months.
3. Admission of folic acid, vitamins B1, B12 in injections, vitamins A, E, C.
4. Normalization of systemic, metabolic disorders of the body.
5. Elimination of hypoxia.
6. The inclusion in the diet of dairy products: cheese, cottage cheese, kefir, etc. to maintain a sufficient level of protein.
7. Preventing possible complications of pregnancy and childbirth.