Free «Anemia in Pregnancy» Essay

Iron-deficiency anemia can cause severe health issues to pregnant women. Low dietary intake of iron may cause such deficiencies as well. Hence, education on anemia during pregnancy can improve the health of a woman during the child birth process. Moreover, it provides different medical information that can help women to improve their health by choosing iron-rich foods. The following paper analyzes the importance of anemia education among pregnant women.

Analysis

Pregnant women require large amounts of iron to prepare hemoglobin in red blood cells. It carries oxygen to various cells of the body. During pregnancy, a woman body produces 50 per cent more blood compared to the usual condition. Therefore, the body needs additional hemoglobin for additional blood cells. Moreover, the female body needs extra iron for growing placenta and the baby itself (Baker & Greer, 2010). However, most pregnant women do not possess enough knowledge about the importance of iron. As a result, they may suffer from iron-deficiency anemia. It can cause various severe health issues. For example, iron deficiency reduces the ability of blood to carry enough oxygen to the different tissues of the body. Also, it makes a person feel weak and dizzy. Hence, various medical experts introduced anemia education for pregnant women. It guides people on how to improve the food habit in their day-to-day lives (Baker & Greer, 2010). In addition, such education explains that a pregnant woman needs sufficient stores of food and minerals to meet the increasing demands of her body. Furthermore, such education explains that a woman requires 18 to 27 mg of iron per day, because deficiency of iron may also cause various health issues. For example, iron deficiency can make a woman weak and she can suffer from morning sickness and frequent vomiting (Short & Domagalski, 2013). Besides, experts believe that people cannot get sufficient iron through a usual diet. Therefore, the medical councils recommended pregnant women to take extra iron supplement. They suggested that women should consume 30 mg of iron as a preventive dose against various diseases. Also, education on anemia teaches women to use effective prenatal iron supplements that improve the health of a mother and her child.

Moreover, education on anemia helps women to understand the main prevention methods. Medical experts advise pregnant women to eat iron-rich foods. For example, dried beans, chicken, eggs, fish and meat provide more iron than vegetables. Doctors advice anemic patients to eat meat in their day-to-day lives to increase the amount of absorbed iron. Research shows that the human body can easily absorb iron from meat products. Goddard, James, McIntyre & Scott (2005) suggest using cast iron pots to cook; this method of cooking adds 80 per cent more iron to food. In addition, education on anemia provides relevant information about other reasons of anemia. For example, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency can cause anemia as well. Baker & Greer (2010) claim that pregnant women should eat fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables to increase the amount of vitamin C and folic acid. Also, mineral pills and prenatal multivitamins help women to receive extra minerals. In addition, the education illustrates the anemia testing methods. For example, pregnant women should perform specific tests to identify the amount of red blood cells in plasma. Also, they should measure the amount of hemoglobin in blood. These tests help doctors to understand the physical conditions of a woman during pregnancy (Goddard, James, McIntyre & Scott, 2005). Usually, women develop iron-deficiency anemia during the final stages of pregnancy. Therefore, they should perform other blood tests during the end of the second trimester or the beginning of the third trimester. Often, women’s hematocrit and hemoglobin levels go down during the second half of pregnancy. In this period, the amount of blood and plasma increase rapidly. On the other hand, the number and size of red blood cell do not increase frequently. As a result, pregnant women have more chances to suffer from anemia (Short & Domagalski, 2013).

Furthermore, education on anemia helps women to understand the main symptoms of the condition. Usually, anemic patients do not have any symptoms during the mild stage. However, in serious conditions, anemic patients may feel dizzy, tired or weak. Also, sometimes the patients’ lips, fingernails and eyelids may be pail. Besides, iron-deficiency anemia can cause rapid heartbeats, headache, short breath and other heart problems. Moreover, iron deficiency may cause psychological effects in pregnant women. For example, it creates desire to eat non-food substances, such as soil, paper, ice or ashes. This situation is known as ‘pica’ in medical science. If a pregnant woman desires to eat non-food items, then she should take advice from doctors.  In such conditions, education on anemia guides women to take necessary steps for their safety (Baker & Greer, 2010).

In addition, such education suggests that women should undergo certain treatment. Such treatment involves taking certain amounts of medication and supplements depending on the necessity of the drugs. Usually, a pregnant woman needs 60 to 120 milligrams of iron elements every day. Also, the experts suggest that women should take advice from physicians before using prenatal supplements.

Conclusion

In conclusion, iron-deficiency anemia is a dangerous health issue. It causes various problems to a pregnant woman during the child birth process. It is caused by low dietary intake of iron-rich foods. Iron-deficiency anemia can reduce the capacity of the human body to carry oxygen through bodily tissues. As a result, a person may frequently feel dizzy, weak or tired. Moreover, in severe cases, people may suffer from trouble breathing conditions. Therefore, people need to consume rich-iron foods such as meat, fish, eggs, green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits. Usually, common people do not have enough knowledge about healthy foods. Therefore, education on anemia can help pregnant women to improve their lifestyles by consuming healthy foods and other supplements. In addition, education on anemia presents information about extra supplements that increase iron and other minerals in the body. Also, it provides various lists that indicate the necessary amounts of elemental and pure iron for a pregnant woman. Furthermore, it helps women to understand the correct use of supplement and medicines. Overall, education on anemia works as a domestic guide for pregnant women. Thus, it improves iron-deficiency anemia at the time of child birth.