Symptoms Of Low B12 In Pregnancy
Here are the signs and symptoms women should know to determine if they need more vitamin b.
Symptoms of low b12 in pregnancy. The demands of pregnancy on b12 deficient patient are huge but sadly many doctors incorrectly believe b12 injections are unsafe in pregnancy when the opposite is in fact true. B12 deficiency is rare. Anaemia is where you have fewer red blood cells than normal or you have an abnormally low amount of a substance called haemoglobin in each red blood cell. The preferred test in pregnancy is holotranscobalamin active b12 as total serum b12 levels fall during pregnancy in the absence of b12 deficiency.
Four out of every 100 women ages 40 to 59 are b12 deficient. This is usually caused by poor intake low quality diet lacking in variety or a restrictive diet certain diseases and conditions such as colon cancer or crohn s disease bariatric surgery aging and pregnancy. Particularly in pregnancy however b12 deficiency should be excluded in women with unexplained anaemia or in women who fail to respond to treatment for iron deficiency anaemia. As b12 plays as important role in new tissue.
Vitamin b12 or folate deficiency anaemia can cause a wide range of symptoms. Low levels of b12 cause your folate levels to drop. B12 deficiency must be treated in a pregnancy it is as important as folate or iron deficiency. In normal pregnancy b12 levels fall by 30 by the third trimester of pregnancy1.
In all three groups women with low vitamin b12 levels below 250 ng l were up to three times more likely to have a child with a neural tube defect than those with higher levels. A lack of folate during pregnancy may increase the risk of the baby being born prematurely before the 37th week of pregnancy or having a low birth weight. The risk of placental abruption may also be increased. Webmd tells you about symptoms of a vitamin b12 deficiency and how it can be treated.
Vitamin b12 is essential for good health but some people may not be getting enough. If low or indeterminate total serum b12 is detected by testing through the woman s general practitioner holotranscobalamin active b12 should be measured before any b12 supplementation occurs. Nutrient deficiencies occur when your body does not absorb the necessary amount of a given nutrient.