Anaemia in pregnancy guidelines

Your maternity team interprets the result alongside the stage of pregnancy, symptoms, medical history and likely cause. A single low result does not show why anaemia has developed, so further assessment may be needed before treatment is chosen.

A full blood count measures haemoglobin and provides information about the size and appearance of red blood cells. Ferritin can help assess iron stores. Depending on the pattern and your history, clinicians may consider folate deficiency, another nutritional deficiency, inherited blood conditions, inflammation or blood loss.

Pregnancy naturally changes blood volume, so clinicians use pregnancy-appropriate ranges and local antenatal protocols. Anaemia can present with unusual tiredness, weakness, dizziness, palpitations, headaches or breathlessness, although some people notice few symptoms.

Follow the testing schedule given by your maternity team and take any prescribed supplement exactly as directed. Iron is commonly used when iron deficiency is confirmed or strongly suspected, but it will not correct every cause of anaemia. Do not double a missed dose or add high-dose supplements without checking with a clinician.

Ask when repeat blood tests are due and what change the team expects to see. Tell them about constipation, nausea or stomach discomfort because the formulation, timing or route may be adjusted. Include iron-rich foods in a varied diet, but do not rely on food alone when medication has been prescribed.

Contact your maternity team promptly if tiredness or breathlessness is worsening, you feel persistently dizzy, or palpitations interfere with normal activity. Seek urgent medical assessment for chest pain, severe difficulty breathing, fainting, confusion, a very fast heartbeat that does not settle, or heavy bleeding. These symptoms need assessment regardless of the most recent blood result.

You could ask which result is low, what cause the blood-cell pattern suggests, whether ferritin or other tests are needed, and when the blood count should be repeated. Also ask how to take prescribed iron around meals and other medicines, which side effects to report, and what the next option would be if tablets are not suitable or the response is limited.