Normal blood counts in the middle of the gestation period are very important. Hemoglobin is one of the important clinical indicators that is assessed in pregnant women in the 2nd trimester.
Why is it necessary to determine?
Developing in the mother's tummy, the child at this stage of his intrauterine development is provided with all the components he needs through the system of placental-uterine blood flow shared with the mother. Their special carrier is hemoglobin.
In order for the baby to fully develop, it requires constant maintenance of the normal concentration of this substance in the blood. Any significant changes in its level can lead to rather dangerous pathologies for the fetus. They can also disrupt the baby's natural organogenesis process.
During pregnancy, the need for this protein substance increases significantly.
The more the baby grows in the mother's tummy, the more it needs nutrients, as well as oxygen. If the expectant mother bears several children at once, then this need increases even more.
Norms
At different periods of bearing a baby, the concentration of this protein substance changes. By the middle of pregnancy, hemoglobin values are no longer the same as at the very beginning of pregnancy.
You can determine the concentration of this protein in the blood using a general analysis. It is assigned to all expectant mothers, without exception. To assess the emerging disorders, the doctor assesses not only the level of hemoglobin, but also erythrocytes. Often these indicators change simultaneously.
The normal level of this protein in the blood during the 2nd trimester should be in the range of 108-114 g / liter. Quite often it happens that in pregnant women, its values are significantly reduced. In such a situation, doctors are forced to ascertain the development of an anemic state in the expectant mother.
In their daily work, doctors use a special table. It contains the maximum permissible limits of the norm of hemoglobin in pregnant women in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. Such a table is presented below:
During this period, the hemoglobin level should not drop below 100 g / liter. This drop in blood protein can gradually lead to the development of anemia.
If hemoglobin is slightly increased and amounts to 116-120 g / liter, then this is not a reason for panic or worries.
This is often an individual characteristic of a particular woman. In such a situation, it is only required to carry out dynamic control over the course of pregnancy.
What do the changes indicate?
Maintaining optimal hemoglobin levels during pregnancy is a very important goal that must be achieved. The change in concentration can be either upward or downward.
The deficiency state is recorded in pregnant women at this time much more often.
Low hemoglobin levels
Reducing the concentration of this protein to 90-99 g / liter requires the compulsory compilation of individual recommendations. Usually, in such a situation, the doctor will recommend the expectant mother to carefully monitor her daily diet.
In this case, a pregnant woman should consume a sufficient amount of foods containing iron. She should eat them daily. It is optimal if the expectant mother will eat during the day at least 1-2 servings of dishes to which iron-containing products are added.
Eating beef, veal, game, offal will help a pregnant woman to normalize the level of hemoglobin in her body. Such foods should be consumed throughout the entire time before childbirth.
For better assimilation of heme iron, doctors recommend supplementing the diet with fruits and vegetables. They contain a lot of ascorbic acid. It helps the gland to be better absorbed and absorbed, which leads to the normalization of hemoglobin levels in the blood.
Quite a lot of ascorbic acid is found in citrus fruits, pomegranates, green apples. It is better to choose fruits according to the season. The content of ascorbic acid in them will be maximum.
The alternation of different fruits will help the body also receive other essential vitamins necessary in this period of pregnancy for both the expectant mother and her baby.
The fact is that it takes a lot of time to compensate for the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood. Against the background of diet therapy, its blood level will gradually increase.
In order to assess how well such a diet helps, the doctor will definitely prescribe additional blood tests to the expectant mother... If after a couple of weeks the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood has become normal, the woman only continues to comply with the recommendations for diet therapy assigned to her.
If the level of this protein in the blood remains low, it may be necessary to prescribe special iron supplements. Usually they are discharged for a long-term appointment. This application allows the hemoglobin to gradually increase.
It is important to note that this treatment is prescribed only if the cause of the violations that have arisen is Iron-deficiency anemia.
If an anemic condition appears in the expectant mother as a result of some other pathologies or disorders, then a completely different complex of therapy will be required to normalize the hemoglobin level.
The most commonly prescribed iron supplements include: "Sorbifer", "Ferrum Lek", "Totema" and others. Taking these drugs may be accompanied by the development of side effects.
One of them is staining the stool black. Some women experience abdominal discomfort or even soreness. Nausea may also appear. The severity of these symptoms is usually mild. Most women tolerate these funds quite well.
If the expectant mother has any diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, especially those occurring in an erosive form, iron-containing preparations will be prescribed to her in the form of injections. Such funds can also be prescribed for a course appointment. During their use, it is also mandatory to monitor the effectiveness of the prescribed therapy.
A decrease in hemoglobin levels often occurs in expectant mothers who are carrying several babies at once. It is especially unfavorable if the woman's anemic condition was present even before pregnancy.
Even more nutrients are required for the development of two or three babies at the same time. This leads to the fact that the level of hemoglobin begins to decline by the middle of pregnancy. If the decrease is significant, then in such a situation, just adhering to a diet with the inclusion of iron-containing foods will not be enough.
In this case, from the middle of pregnancy, the expectant mother carrying twins will be prescribed medications. They will help to normalize the hemoglobin level, which is necessary for both babies.
High hemoglobin levels
It is no coincidence that the doctors also set the upper limit of the permissible concentration of this protein in the blood. Exceeding it can also become a manifestation of pathology. According to statistics, such diseases are much less common than deficiency conditions.
If during the 2nd trimester of pregnancy the hemoglobin level rises above 135-140 g / liter, then this may indicate that the expectant mother has diseases of internal organs.
Thus, liver and kidney diseases can manifest themselves. Pathologies associated with a deficiency of certain B vitamins can also lead to the development of this condition.
A significant excess of hemoglobin is often accompanied by an increase in the number of erythrocytes. These changes contribute to the disruption of the natural process of thrombus formation.
This leads to the fact that small blood clots can form in the blood vessels that feed the fetus. Such blood clots, blocking the arteries of the uteroplacental circulatory system, provoke a violation of the flow of all vital substances for the baby.
Ultimately it contributes to the development of the child dangerous hypoxic condition. In the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, this condition can even become a threat to the further course of pregnancy. Correction of the arisen violations, as a rule, in such a situation is carried out in a hospital setting.
All about anemia, as well as the physiological and psychological problems of pregnancy, see the next video.
