Preventing and Treating Iron Deficiency in Pregnancy
It is not uncommon to experience a lower iron level during pregnancy, especially without a varied diet.
During pregnancy, your baby consumes iron from your supply, resulting in naturally lower levels in your body. If you don’t increase the iron you consume, you and your baby can experience serious issues.
Our guide will help you understand how to prevent and treat iron deficiency during pregnancy.
What happens if I have iron deficiency during pregnancy?
If you absorb iron at a lower rate during pregnancy, the most common result is fatigue (lack of energy).
However, you may also suffer from iron deficiency anaemia. A lack of red blood cells in the body causes this.
Symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia include:
- Tiredness
- Short breaths
- Pale skin
- Headaches
- Heart palpitations
- Dizziness
- Chest pains.
If you think you have any of these symptoms during pregnancy, contact your midwife or GP so they can diagnose you.
Preventing iron deficiency during pregnancy
Eating more iron-rich foods and looking after your body is the easiest way to prevent iron deficiency during pregnancy.
We recommend that you eat more:
- Meat
- Dried fruits, such as prunes and raisins
- Pulses, such as beans, lentils and peas
- Fortified cereal
- Fortified bread
- Kale and watercress.
Your midwife may recommend you take an iron supplement like ferrous sulfate if you have low iron levels.
Treating iron deficiency during pregnancy
Eating the correct foods is not enough if you have an iron deficiency anaemia diagnosis. You will need specific treatment.
During the diagnosis, you will take a blood test (a complete blood count, for example). If the tests show a low blood cell count, the GP will prescribe iron tablets to replace the missing iron in your body.
The prescription period for these is usually around six months. If you’re unsure how to take the tablets, follow your GP’s advice precisely.
You should also be aware of the side effects when taking iron tablets; these include:
- Heartburn
- Sickness
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Darker coloured poo.
Taking the tablets with food (or soon after eating) can reduce the chance of these side effects.
If you experience any side effects, continue to take the tablets so they can supplement your iron levels.
You will attend more blood tests during the six months to check that your iron level is gradually increasing.
Further Iron Deficiency Advice
Our support page contains multiple useful links if you need more information on iron deficiency or other problems you can encounter during pregnancy. We can also provide more help on how to keep healthy during pregnancy.
Additionally, you can find information on the NHS website or ask your community midwifery team.