Pregnancy: Iron deficiency puts the child at risk
Dr. Andrea Bannert has been with since 2013. The doctor of biology and medicine editor initially carried out research in microbiology and is the team's expert on the tiny things: bacteria, viruses, molecules and genes. She also works as a freelancer for Bayerischer Rundfunk and various science magazines and writes fantasy novels and children's stories.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.Iron is vital for the human body - it helps with oxygen transport. Women generally have a higher iron requirement than men. If a baby has to be taken care of in the mother's womb, the need for the metal is even higher. But a third of pregnant women suffer from iron deficiency - this can have fatal consequences for the offspring.
Those who eat healthily have no problem with iron deficiency. The fact is, however, that many people take in too little of the metal. Fatigue, hair loss or headaches are possible consequences. If the deficiency is extreme, those affected suffer from anemia, because enough blood cells cannot form without iron.
Pregnant women need more blood cells
This is particularly dangerous for expectant mothers. Because they need extra blood cells so that the baby and placenta can grow. Dr. Kris Poppe and his team from the Saint-Pierre University Hospital in Brussels investigated how many women are affected by iron deficiency during pregnancy and what possible consequences this can have for the unborn child.
To do this, the scientists determined the amount of ferritin in the blood of 1,900 women in the first trimester of their pregnancy. This protein is a marker of the amount of iron in the body. The result: 35 percent of women, i.e. more than a third, suffered from iron deficiency.
Impaired brain development
In addition to the anemia, the scientists discovered another health consequence: a deficiency in the thyroid hormone thyroid. To produce this, the body also needs iron. The hormone ensures that the baby's brain develops well. Especially in the first trimester of pregnancy, before the unborn child has developed its own thyroid.
But the iron deficiency has another health disadvantage: the immune system of women with an iron deficiency produced antibodies more often, which falsely attacked the thyroid hormones and thus reduced them even further.
The scientists have not investigated the exact effects of anemia and thyoride deficiency on the offspring. However, it is known from previous studies that an iron deficiency can lead to serious complications during pregnancy: premature births or miscarriages are more common and the birth weight is reduced.
Replenish iron deficit
Dr. Poppe recommends that women who want to have children keep an eye on their iron levels. While adult women should consume around 15 milligrams of iron per day, the need for pregnant women doubles to 30 milligrams. Breastfeeding women also need more iron, namely 20 milligrams per day.
"Pregnant women should make sure to eat more food containing iron and, if necessary, take iron tablets," advises the expert. Iron is found in many foods, such as meat, legumes, nuts, whole grain products and dried fruits. Iron supplements should only be swallowed in consultation with the attending physician, because too much iron, for example, has constipation as a side effect.
Source: Poppe K. et al .: Prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity and dysfunction in women with iron deficiency during early pregnancy: is it altered ?, European Journal of Endocrinology, July 21, 2016.
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