Anemia of Pregnancy and Ferrous Iron Supplements (part 3 of 3)

Welcome back for the final episode in this three part series on Anemia of Pregnancy.  We began by talking about how our bodies make an extra three to four quarts of blood during the first 30 weeks of pregnancy, and how that naturally results in mid-pregnancy anemia for many women.  We talked about boosting iron levels using food and herbal iron supplements.  Last week we talked about using exercise to stimulate hemoglobin production.  This week we will discuss some supplements to avoid and why they are not helpful.

Sometimes women transfer to my care after several visits with a physician.  Inevitably, they have been prescribed iron pills to cure their Anemia of Pregnancy.  These prescription or over-the-counter pills contain ferrous sources of iron.  Just look at the label.  You will find ferrous sulfate or ferrous gluconate or many other ferrous form of iron.  Taking these pills is like swallowing rust.  They slow the bowel transit time and cause constipation.  They are hard for the liver to process, creating a back-log of work for the liver.  The liver has a lot of work to do during pregnancy and it doesn’t need to be bogged down with ferrous iron processing!  Also, the liver dumps waste into to bowel for removal.  But the constipation caused by the ferrous iron slows the bowel so much that the waste is re-absorbed into the bloodstream where it ends up back in the liver.  The poor liver is already taxed by the extra work due to pregnancy, ferrous iron, and now it has to re-process the same waste over and over.  The result can be liver problems like cholestasis of pregnancy, jaundice or persistent or slow-to-resolve anemia!  Please don’t tax your liver by ingesting ferrous iron.  Check the label of your prenatal vitamins.  If you see the word ferrous on the label throw them away and get something better!  

If you have already been taking ferrous iron and you are constipated, follow these steps to get your bowel moving!  You don’t want those toxins to be re-absorbed into your bloodstream, you want to move them OUT!

• Stop taking the ferrous iron!  If you are anemic, see part 1 for the list of iron-rich foods that you should be eating every day.  If you must have an iron supplement, choose from the natural supplements listed in part 1.
• Increase clear water intake to three quarts per day (not counting teas, soups or other liquids).
• Make sure you are eating a minimum of a large salad with dark leafy greens every day, plus three raw fruits or vegetables.  
• Do a minimum of 20 minutes of brisk walking per day.  This is to get your bowel moving, not just for raising the hemoglobin (see part 2).
• If you are still constipated, you can use magnesium to temporarily get things moving - but you MUST continue to do the steps above or you will return to constipation in the end.  Get some magnesium tablets or powder (like Natural Calm).  Take one tablet (or ½ t powder) at bedtime the first night.  You should have a bowel movement the next morning.  If not, increase the magnesium by one tablet (or ½ t powder) per night until you have a bowel movement first thing in the morning.  Use that dosage for a week, then slowly decrease the magnesium over the next week or two until you are not taking any.  If you ever have a random day of constipation in the future, you can quickly remedy it with magnesium.  WARNING: Magnesium works by slightly irritating the lining of the bowel, causing the body to flood water backwards through the system (from bloodstream to bowel, the reverse of the way it is supposed to flow).  This robs your body of water and can cause dehydration.  Do not take magnesium unless you are drinking at least  three quarts of water each day.

I hope you have enjoyed learning about Anemia of Pregnancy over these past three weeks!  In summary, a drop in hemoglobin in early to mid-pregnancy is a good sign the blood volume is expanding as it should.  It is not an illness or disease.  You can support your body as it builds the extra three to four quarts of blood by eating a diet high in organic iron-rich foods.  If you need an iron supplement, choose one containing organic plant-based natural iron sources instead of the rust found in ferrous sources of iron.  Go for a brisk walk at least twice a week.  By the third trimester, your blood volume will be expanded  to just the right amount and your hemoglobin reading will show that you are not anemic.  This will lead to a healthier baby and an easier labor, birth and postpartum.

Blessings!

:) Deborah