Clinical and evident symptoms of physiological anemia

Suppose a complete blood count (CBC) of a pregnant woman reveals that the red blood cells in the body, which transport oxygen throughout the body to its different parts, tissues, and muscles, are low. What does it mean? It indicates a lack of adequate iron content in the body. In this case, you may suffer from a medical condition called physiological anemia.

Low iron stores may make you weary, dizzy, tired, drowsy, sluggish, chilly, and out of breath. Diet changes can usually help you avoid anemia during pregnancy, but other measures must be taken if the iron levels continue to deplete. Anemia is the sole cause of almost 20-40% of maternal deaths and must be considered seriously.

Feeling weak and exhausted when pregnant is a symptom of physiological anemia. Understand the symptoms, risk factors, and what can be done to prevent this condition. Because of the increasing fetal demands, you are more likely to develop anemia if you are pregnant. When you have iron deficiency anemia, your red blood cells aren't healthy enough to carry enough oxygen to the body's tissues. 

What signs of anemia do you experience while pregnant?

Mild anemia may not make any of its symptoms obvious initially. But, if the stores or iron keep depleting, you might experience the following:

Light-headedness and dizziness

Headaches

Tachycardia

Exhaustion

Cold

Respiration difficulty

Weakness and lethargy

Rapid heart rate

Headache

Fragile, dry, pale, and bruised skin 

Tingling aching tongue

Syncope

Reduced exercise tolerance

Restless legs syndrome or unintended flexion of the lower leg

Your baby can not reach a healthy weight if you have anemia and maybe born prematurely with low birth weight. A basic blood test advised by the doctor to check the levels of Haemoglobin or hematocrit reveals physiological anemia, and its severity will affect the course of treatment. To prevent anemia during pregnancy, you need a healthy diet.

The doctor might ask if you show signs of an extreme craving or desire to eat ice, sand, or chalk. He will check out for blue sclera and pale dull conjuctiva. Furthermore, cold feet, hands and skin of pale yellow color, brittle, grooved nails, vertigo, spinning, inflamed tongue, breathlessness, chest pain, fall in appetite, etc., also indicate a fall in iron levels.

Further checks include difficulty focusing, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, frequent sore throats, leg edema, stomatitis, glossitis, pica, and functional heart murmur. The healthcare worker keenly observes the symptoms mentioned above and signs because mild signs are often mistaken as pregnancy symptoms. 

Signs intensify as iron deficiency increases. So, do not try to self-treat or self-diagnose your condition. Professional help is critical. Iron supplements and other prenatal medications need to be taken under supervision. Excess iron accumulation can also be dangerous, leading to bodily and liver complications.

Mild anemia can be treated with supplements and prenatal vitamins to maintain the folic acid, iron, and Vitamin B 12 levels. Severe anemia is indicated if the hemoglobin levels of the pregnant woman are around 6 – 8 grams per decilitre, and there is no other option but an infusion.  

Only low red blood cell counts indicate physiological anemia because other evident symptoms can be clouded or mistaken. The prenatal examination and a blood test can reveal the amount of Haemoglobin and hematocrit to check oxygen levels and RBC in the blood. For the safety of the mother and fetus, the body must have healthy red blood cell levels during the pregnancy.