Iron deficiency is a condition far more common than many realize, especially for women, and especially during pregnancy. You've likely heard of anemia, a condition where your body doesn't have enough hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is used by your red blood cells to carry oxygen to every part of your body. When you're anemic, your body isn't getting enough oxygen.
There are two components to iron levels:
• Hemoglobin: This tells you how much oxygen your red blood cells are carrying right now.
• Ferritin: This is your body’s iron stores. It’s what you have in reserve for your body to pull from to make hemoglobin.
Anemia is the end-stage result of iron deficiency. Your body prioritizes making sure your red blood cells have enough iron for hemoglobin.This means that iron deficiency can progress through multiple stages before your hemoglobin levels actually drop and you become anemic. Your ferritin stores could be close to empty, even while your body is still trying its best to keep your red blood cells supplied with enough hemoglobin. Once you no longer have ferritin, you will become anemic. Because your body prioritizes hemoglobin production, a standard hemoglobin test isn't sensitive enough to catch iron deficiency in its earlier, non-anemic stages. Simply put, your hemoglobin may be fine, but your ferritin can be low. Checking your hemoglobin level is not enough. Checking both hemoglobin and ferritin is necessary to give a complete picture of your body’s iron status.
Ignoring low ferritin, even when you're not yet anemic, carries significant risks for both Mom and baby:
• For Mom:
◦ Increased fatigue.
◦ Higher risk of developing iron deficiency anemia later in pregnancy.
◦ Associated with abnormal placenta growth and hypothyroidism.
◦ Increased risk of postpartum depression.
◦ More difficult to fight infections.
◦ Increased risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and hemorrhage after birth. • For Baby:
◦ Greater risk for anemia later in infancy.
◦ Fetal iron deficiency which can negatively affect the baby's brain development.
I want my clients to have a healthy pregnancy and feel their best throughout pregnancy. Because ferritin is so important to Mom’s and baby’s health, I like to check it when we start care, and again around 30 weeks gestation so if we need to take steps to address low ferritin, we have time to make changes that will be beneficial.
Sources:
https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(20)30328-8/fulltext
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9669178/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/anemia-during-pregnancy/art-20114455
There are two components to iron levels:
• Hemoglobin: This tells you how much oxygen your red blood cells are carrying right now.
• Ferritin: This is your body’s iron stores. It’s what you have in reserve for your body to pull from to make hemoglobin.
Anemia is the end-stage result of iron deficiency. Your body prioritizes making sure your red blood cells have enough iron for hemoglobin.This means that iron deficiency can progress through multiple stages before your hemoglobin levels actually drop and you become anemic. Your ferritin stores could be close to empty, even while your body is still trying its best to keep your red blood cells supplied with enough hemoglobin. Once you no longer have ferritin, you will become anemic. Because your body prioritizes hemoglobin production, a standard hemoglobin test isn't sensitive enough to catch iron deficiency in its earlier, non-anemic stages. Simply put, your hemoglobin may be fine, but your ferritin can be low. Checking your hemoglobin level is not enough. Checking both hemoglobin and ferritin is necessary to give a complete picture of your body’s iron status.
Ignoring low ferritin, even when you're not yet anemic, carries significant risks for both Mom and baby:
• For Mom:
◦ Increased fatigue.
◦ Higher risk of developing iron deficiency anemia later in pregnancy.
◦ Associated with abnormal placenta growth and hypothyroidism.
◦ Increased risk of postpartum depression.
◦ More difficult to fight infections.
◦ Increased risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and hemorrhage after birth. • For Baby:
◦ Greater risk for anemia later in infancy.
◦ Fetal iron deficiency which can negatively affect the baby's brain development.
I want my clients to have a healthy pregnancy and feel their best throughout pregnancy. Because ferritin is so important to Mom’s and baby’s health, I like to check it when we start care, and again around 30 weeks gestation so if we need to take steps to address low ferritin, we have time to make changes that will be beneficial.
Sources:
https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(20)30328-8/fulltext
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9669178/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/anemia-during-pregnancy/art-20114455
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