This Weeks Topic: Importance of Iron During Pregnancy

Iron is an important element in the human body and is essential to have during your pregnancy! We normally think of iron as that element with the atomic number of 26 between  manganese and cobalt, and that its a metal, but I'm here to tell you it is so much more, and not only found in metals. You need it for the care and health of not only you but for your baby as well! So sit back and enjoy!
                                                                                                               

Recommended Daily Allowance

                                   

The amount of iron needed increases when you are pregnant. While you needed at least 18 mg per day your intake has now increased to taking 27 mg per day. This is essential because the amount of blood in your body increases, about 50% more, when you are pregnant so therefore more iron is needed to support the extra blood present.

Where Can You Get Iron?

Iron enriched foods are not hard to come by they are found in a number of different foods from fish to wheat. To make sure you are getting enough in your diet you can eat a variety of iron rich foods daily. Some iron enriched foods include broccoli, spinach, asparagus, oatmeal, dried apricots, raisins, prunes, bananas, avocados  pineapple, lima beans, sunflower seeds, as well as salmon, tuna, and red meats. Staying away from coffee and tea will help because they interfere with absorption of iron, while eating vitamin C helps to increases the absorption rate of iron in your body to get the most out of the foods you eat.

                 

Why Iron?

Even before pregnancy iron is a vital element needed in the human body. A majority of iron is found in a protein of red blood cells, called hemoglobin, which help to carry oxygen to other tissues. It is also found in myoglobin, a protein that helps carry oxygen to muscles as well as collagen, or proteins found in bone, cartilage, and connective tissues. Iron can be found in multiple enzymes and helps to maintain a healthy immune system.
                                             
During pregnancy the need for iron is even more crucial.You need extra iron for the growing baby's placenta which is especially needed during the second and third trimesters. Many women usually need a high intake of iron when they first find out they are pregnant because they may have insufficient stores of iron to begin with.

Too Much Iron?

If your body has too much iron it starts to build up in organ tissues (such as heart and liver tissues) because proteins store iron for future use. If too much is stored and begins to build up it is called iron overload, which can then lead to hemochromatosis. Hemochromatosis causes appetite loss, weakness, joint pain, abdominal pain, infertility, arthritis, or bronze skin. It usually, however, is because of a gene mutation.

This can create major problems for not only you but your baby when you're pregnant. It can increase your risk for gestational diabetes, an imbalance in your body which plays a role with your fertility, preeclampsia, and even miscarriage which has also been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, and asthma. 

Too Little Iron?

If you don't have enough iron in your blood to make up hemoglobin you develop anemia. When you are anemic you experience dizziness, become tired, breathless easily, look pale, have thin nails, and have poor muscle performance. Blood loss, iron deficient diet, and poor absorption of iron in the body make you more likely to become anemic. The lack of iron also makes it harder for your body to fight infection.

Iron deficiency during pregnancy can lead to a preterm birth, low birth weight baby, and fetal or newborn death. If you are severely anemic during your pregnancy it gives your child a greater risk of becoming anemic at the time of delivery or even hurting its growth and cognitive development. There has also been research that claims of low levels of iron relate to a higher chance of having postpartum depression after you have your baby. 

Iron Supplements

There are multiple iron supplements to take that are available in local convenient stores and pharmacies. They range from 28-65 mg depending on what supplement it is. Being pregnant you may not have enough iron you need and you may not be able to get it through just your diet so doctors may have you take the iron supplements with about 30 mg of iron to make up for it. They cost on average about $15 depending on what supplement is needed.