Anaemia and Pregnancy: What Can I Do?

Feeling dizzy? Digestion a bit off? Concave fingernails? A pale tongue? Fatigue?  You may be suffering from anaemia during pregnancy. A simple blood test will give you answers and then what?

Here’s the good news: You can feel so much better! Your GP/midwife/Ob will advise you which supplements to take or may offer you an iron infusion. 

You can also take measures to prevent your Iron levels from going too far down – we can help with planning your diet, thinking about ways to get your metabolism to work more efficiently and supplementation

Women’s iron requirements are about 80% higher than for men because of menstruation and child bearing. That’s not all: more than half of women consume less than the recommended 10–15mg daily.

Help yourself heal by keeping foods that are rich in iron on hand. We suggest lean red meats, sardines, mussels, wheat germ, parsley, dried apricots, peaches and prunes and almonds. Some tasty ways to include these foods in your diet: keep a small sack of dried fruit and almonds in your handbag to snack on throughout the day, add acidic dressings to your salad (such as lemon and vinegar), and eat bitter green veggies or fruit before or during your meals. Why? To help improve the flow of gastric acid which will assist you in absorbing the minerals you need. And you may want to lay off the coffee and tea for a while. There’s no denying they both can benefit your health, but as far as iron deficiency is concerned, both coffee and tea can make absorption more difficult. A fabulous alternative? A refreshing glass of water with a splash of lemon.

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