Iron deficiency is “very common” among healthy and low -risk pregnant women, with a remarkably greater prevalence in the African continent. When a woman becomes pregnant, her iron requirements increase almost ten times to support fetal development, as well as her own iron needs.
Iron deficiency can lead to anemia, a condition in which the body cannot produce sufficient hemoglobin, which, in turn, limits the ability of red blood cells to transport oxygenated blood throughout the body.
Anemia is an indicator of poor nutrition and poor health. Its occurrence during pregnancy can have healthy health consequences for both the mother and her baby. It can result in the health and quality of life of women and the consequent deterioration in newborns and the development and learning of children.
At this time, iron deficiency detection during pregnancy is not performed routinely, regardless of the presence or absence of anemia. Even when detection is performed, hemoglobin is frequently used to evaluate iron status among pregnant women. Hemoglobin, however, only anemia indicates.
As a result, bad maternal and childhood health results may arise that can develop before iron deficiency advances anemia without being detected.
“Anemia is a condition to which many people do not usually pay significant attention; it is taken as, OH, it is common for a woman to be anemic ',” said Professor Bosededeafolabi, director of the Center for Clinical Trials, Research and Implementation Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lagos.
Even in Nigeria, he added: “The level at which we cut anemia in pregnant women and non -pregnant women is much lower than it should be, than what WHO recommends.”
Afolabi, Obstetra and Gynecologist Consultor, spoke at the 8th International and Scientific Conference of the Association of Specialists in Fetomaterian Medicine of Nigeria (Aphemson) with the theme 'Contemporary Research in Fetomaterna Medicine'.
Also read by Nigerian Tribune: Online reports that link Shettima's comments to the fake rivers crisis – Presidency
Anemia in women is important. It leads to so many significant health problems, including infections, bleeding, depression, fatigue and death. Mothers die when they are anemic. The consequences of anemia are many.
Unfortunately, anemia is the end point of iron deficiency. Then, a complete blood count, a simple test, can count the number of blood cells in a blood sample. It is different from the packaged cell volume, also known as hematocrit, which only measures the proportion of red blood cells in the blood sample.
Ian Roberts, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, said: “As you get more poor iron, it affects you in several ways, but eventually causes anemia. Then, the hemoglobin level is the last to lower.”
Professor Roberts declared that iron deficiency that does not cause anemia also causes problems.
“From the studies, when they treat young girls and women who have iron deficiency but are not anemic, their school performance improves. Their academic grades increase, they find it easier to concentrate and have more energy. Therefore, iron deficiency before anemia has an effect,” he added.
The PCV test helps to evaluate the blood oxygen transport capacity, but its values can vary due to conditions such as dehydration and polite, a condition in which the body produces too many red blood cells.
However, he declared the need to prevent and treat anemia in pregnancy.
According to Professor Roberts, “in reality, we have to prevent women from being anemic even before they are pregnant. If you are pregnant with anemia, many different things happen: premature delivery, low birth weight and a greater risk of bleeding after childbirth.
“Now, heavy menstrual bleeding is a significant cause of anemia in young women. It is an important cause of anemia in young women. If we can identify young women with anemia and give them iron and folic acid, but we also give them tranexamic acid while menstruate, so we address heavy menstrual bleeding.”
Professor Hleemashahur-Still, in his presentation at the woman's trial, said that if bleeding can be prevented by giving tranexamic acid, then it is possible to avoid anemia.
According to her, “also, tranexamic acid will reduce the loss of approximately 40-50 percent of the menstrual blood of each cycle, leading to a reduction of approximately 8 thousand per cycle. And it can improve the quality of life related to health and participation in women with high and heavy menstrual bleeding.”
Professor Shahur-Still stated that in the woman's trial, if tranexamic acid is administered immediately after the start of bleeding in women who give birth, it can also reduce the risk that women bleed to death by approximately 70 percent.
He added: “When modeling, he showed that if we give tranexamic acid to all women who give birth, we reduce maternal mortality in countries where PPH's risk is equal to or greater than five deaths per 100,000 births. And it is a profitable that PPH's risk is greater than or equal to 21 deaths per 100,000”.
Professor Hadijatraji, Obstetrician consultant and gynecologist at the Teaching Hospital of the University of Ilorin, said that monitoring the blood levels of women to ensure that there is no iron or anemia deficiency is vital during pregnancy because up to 50 percent of pregnant women live with some level of anemia.
He added: “It is important that our women know that having a safe delivery is not the end. We need to make sure that we are also safe throughout the postpartum period to ensure that we can remain healthy and keep our newborns and our healthy families as well.”