Effect of Anaemia in Pregnancy

Anaemia means your blood has too little haemoglobin or too few healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen efficiently. Pregnancy increases the body’s demand for oxygen and nutrients, so anaemia may contribute to marked tiredness, weakness, breathlessness or a fast heartbeat. These symptoms can overlap with ordinary pregnancy changes, which is why blood tests are useful.

Untreated or more pronounced anaemia can make it harder for your body to cope with blood loss around birth and may affect how well you recover afterwards. The effect depends on the cause and severity, so a result should be interpreted by your maternity team rather than judged from symptoms alone.

Attend the blood tests and antenatal appointments offered to you. Your clinician may check haemoglobin, iron stores and other possible causes before recommending a plan. Iron-rich foods such as meat, beans, lentils and leafy vegetables can support a balanced diet, while vitamin C-containing foods may help the body absorb iron from plant sources.

Take prescribed supplements exactly as directed; iron can cause constipation, nausea or darker stools, so report troublesome effects instead of stopping without advice. Read more about [Iron Therapy](/treatments/medical-gynaecology/iron-therapy/).

Contact your maternity team promptly if tiredness is severe or worsening, or if you develop breathlessness at rest, chest discomfort, fainting, a racing heartbeat or unusual weakness. Seek urgent help for heavy bleeding, collapse or severe difficulty breathing. Tiredness in pregnancy has many causes; more detail is available under [Tiredness in Pregnancy](/symptoms/tiredness-in-pregnancy/).

What type of anaemia do my results suggest? Do I need iron or another treatment, and when should my blood test be repeated? Could my symptoms have another cause?