Women's Health
Why iron is important to consider before you have a baby
Thinking about starting to try to conceive? Now is the time to optimize your nutrition! Although there are lots of important nutrients for making a baby, iron is a key one to focus on. Iron helps to transport oxygen throughout our tissues and assists in forming new red blood cells, so it becomes even more important during pregnancy and is vital for the health of both you and your bub. After becoming pregnant, your daily iron requirements increase from 18mg/day to 27mg/day. To put that into perspective, it’s more than three times what your partner needs. This is because both you and your baby are growing, which means that the volume of blood in your body increases to supply oxygen to your developing baby. You’re also growing a whole new organ, the placenta! Meaning, you need even more red blood cells to keep up with this growth. Iron is also important during pregnancy to reduce the risk of conditions such as iron deficiency or anaemia. Both conditions can cause symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, weakened immunity and headaches. They can also lead to pregnancy and birth complications such as preterm delivery, low birth weight and/or perinatal depression. During pregnancy, your baby relies on your iron intake to increase their own iron stores, making it important to ensure you are consuming enough iron to prevent your baby from developing iron deficiency or anaemia. Iron is also extremely important for baby’s brain development and adequate intake can reduce the risk of poor cognitive, language and motor skill development. Unfortunately, research suggests that supplementing with iron later in life doesn’t usually undo damage caused by low iron intakes while a baby is in the womb. So, how can you optimise your iron levels during pregnancy? Well, if you go into pregnancy with low iron stores, it can be challenging to get your iron levels up to the recommended range during pregnancy….which is why it is so much better to boost your iron intake prior to conceiving if possible. Nausea and constipation are common during pregnancy and high doses of iron can exacerbate these conditions. Eating To Increase Your Iron Levels Before Pregnancy Iron can be found in two forms, heme and non-heme. Heme iron is typically found in animal products, such as meat, poultry and seafood. While non-heme iron is found in wholegrains, legumes, nuts, seeds and leafy greens. Our body absorbs heme iron much better than non-heme. This means that if non-heme is your only iron source, you will need to consume a higher quantity of these foods to ensure your absorbing enough iron. Some ways you can increase your absorption of non-heme iron during meals is by having vitamin c or heme iron rich foods within the same meal, or by avoiding mixing dairy, tea and coffee with meals rich in non-heme iron (as these foods decrease absorption). Some pregnancy friendly sources of iron include beef, kangaroo, lamb, pork, wholegrains, iron-fortified bread/cereals (check the nutritional panel on these foods to see if extra iron has been added), kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils and soy products such as tofu. In some cases, oral iron supplementation may be needed to increase your iron if dietary changes are not working. However, the best approach is definitely to build up your iron stores before pregnancy. Author: Melanie McGrice – Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian. Melanie McGrice is a highly respected Australian dietitian, passionate about working with women to improve nutrition and dietary issues. Melanie is also the director of Nutrition Plus, a dietetic company which specialises in fertility, pregnancy and women’s health.
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Does Your Period Affect Your Iron Levels?
How Your Menstruation Cycle Affects Your Iron Levels Iron is an essential mineral that our body needs to function optimally. One of its key functions is to transport oxygen throughout our tissues, meaning it helps give our body lots of energy to function daily. However, iron is especially important for menstruating woman. This is because most our body’s iron stores are found within our blood, meaning a women will lose some of these stores each month during her period. Heavy Periods Can Lead to Low Iron Or Iron Deficiency A heavy period can mean much more of these iron stores are being lost each month, increasing a woman’s iron needs and our risk of becoming iron deficient or anaemic. This is exactly why it is important for menstruating woman to be consuming enough iron within our diets. Are Low Iron Symptoms Being Overlooked By Australian Women? Iron deficiency has become extremely common in woman, with many becoming used to symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness and headaches. As a woman, it is extremely important to monitor your iron levels, as untreated iron deficiency can lead to more serious conditions such as iron-deficiency anaemia or pregnancy complications in the future. However, there are many strategies that we can use to help avoid this, with diet being one of them! Eating To Increase Your Iron Levels Iron can be found in two forms, heme and non-heme. Heme iron is typically found in animal products, such as meat, poultry and seafood. While non-heme iron is found in wholegrains, legumes, nuts, seeds and leafy greens. Many food products such as bread and cereals are also fortified with iron, meaning they have extra iron added to them during the production process. When trying to improve or maintain your iron levels, it is important to consider which type of iron you’re eating and what you’re eating it with. Our body absorbs heme iron much better than non-heme iron. Meaning if you are only consuming non-heme iron due to being a vegan/vegetarian or because of personal preference, then it is important that you are eating a large enough quantity and variety of these sources. Similarly, iron is a very sensitive nutrient and its absorption in our body can be affected by other things we eat. Consuming calcium at the same time as an iron-rich meal can significantly reduce our body’s ability to absorb iron. Polyphenols are components found in some foods that can also decrease heme iron absorption. They are found in foods and beverages such as tea, coffee, wine, wholegrains, nuts, seeds and legumes. However, there are some nutrients that increase our body’s ability to absorb iron. Consuming foods rich in vitamin C such as oranges, strawberries, capsicum or tomatoes at the same time as iron-rich foods may help our body to absorb more of the iron from that meal. What About An Iron Supplement? Oral iron supplements can be extremely useful in treating iron deficiency, but should only be taken when advised by a health professional. High dose oral iron supplements may cause gastrointestinal discomfort. However, there are many new types of supplements becoming available on the market that may cause less discomfort. Taking an iron supplement with added vitamin c has also been shown to improve iron absorption. It is important to discuss iron supplementation with your doctor or dietitian to ensure you are taking the correct and most beneficial supplement for you. What Women Need To Know About Managing Iron Levels As dietitians, we understand that it may be overwhelming when trying to figure out how to improve your iron intake. Try these tips: Ensure you are consuming an iron source at each meal. This could be something like an iron fortified cereal at breakfast, chickpeas and spinach added to your sandwich for lunch (extra points if you use wholegrain bread!) and including some tofu, chicken or red meat into your dinner. Nuts, seeds and dried fruit make great iron rich snacks! Avoid consuming dairy, tea or coffee at the same time as your main meals. For example, you may want to wait 30 minuets after breakfast to have your morning coffee. Look at increasing your vitamin C intake by including lots of coloured fruit and vegetables with your meals. Speak to your doctor and dietitian if you are experiencing ongoing heavy periods, to ensure the best possible plan is created to preserve your iron stores and avoid deficiency. If necessary, discuss possible options for iron supplementation with your doctor or dietitian. Author: Melanie McGrice – Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian. Melanie McGrice is a highly respected Australian dietitian, passionate about working with women to improve nutrition and dietary issues. Melanie is also the director of Nutrition Plus, a dietetic company which specialises in fertility, pregnancy and women’s health.
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Nutrition tips for women who have heavy periods
Heavy periods, also known as menorrhagia, occurs in one in every four women. With menorrhagia, you can’t maintain your usual activities as a result of your period. Signs that you may have menorrhagia include: You soak through your pad or tampon at least once an hour for several consecutive hours You need to use double sanitary protection You bleed for more than seven consecutive days You pass clots of blood You have to change your sanitary protection overnight. Losing so much blood may put you at risk of nutritional deficiencies. Additionally, nutritional deficiencies can exacerbate your menorrhagia. Consequently, if you’re experiencing heavy periods, it’s worth considering your nutrition intake. Try these nutrition tips: Get your iron levels checked – Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency associated with heavy periods, and severe cases can even result in iron deficiency anemia (a deficiency of healthy red blood cells). Symptoms of iron deficiency include extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, dizziness, cold hands and/or feet, brittle nails and paleness, and it can lead to a weakened immune system, heart problems, difficulty concentrating and difficulty conceiving. Iron deficiency can be easily diagnosed by a quick blood test, so if you have heavy periods, it’s beneficial to have your iron levels checked periodically and ensure that you consume an iron-rich diet including foods such as sesame seeds, lentils, rice, fish and green leafy vegetables. Ensure you are consuming adequate amounts of dietary Vitamin A – Vitamin A is an important nutrient for reproductive health. Emerging studies suggest that vitamin A deficiency may be associated with an increased risk of menorrhagia. Although vitamin A deficiency is rare, it is more commonly seen in young women experiencing growth spurts who aren’t meeting dietary vitamin A requirements. Good sources of vitamin A include salmon, cheese, eggs, orange vegetables such as carrots and pumpkin, and green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach. Consider boosting your omega 3 intake – Omega 3 is well known for its blood thinning properties. If you’re regularly experiencing menstrual blood clots, you may find that boosting your omega 3 intake may help. Consuming oily fish such as salmon 2-3 times each week is one of the best strategies that you can implement to boost your omega 3 intake. Speak to a dietitian about vitamin E supplements – Emerging research suggests that commencing vitamin E supplements during your menstrual period may help to lighten bleeding in some women, particularly those who are using Inter Uterine Devices. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which may go some way to explaining its benefit. Studies are small, but if you experience heavy menstrual bleeding, a course of vitamin E supplements may be worth a try. Heavy menstural bleeding may be a symptom of a health condition such as Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, Endometriosis or Uterine Fibroids, so don’t put up with it, but seek the expert advice of your doctor and dietitian so that you can optimise your health. Author: Melanie McGrice – Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian. Melanie McGrice is a highly respected Australian dietitian, passionate about working with women to improve nutrition and dietary issues. Melanie is also the director of Nutrition Plus, a dietetic company which specialises in fertility, pregnancy and women’s health.
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