Pregnancy Iron & Vitamin C

Iron is an essential mineral that is found in the centre of red blood cells (called haemoglobin). Its primary role is to pick up oxygen from your lungs and transport it to all the various tissues around your body.

You may need additional iron for a variety of reasons including: your doctor has identified an iron deficiency, your dietitian has identified that you are not getting enough iron from your diet alone. You may be a vegetarian or vegan where iron intake is typically low and therefor demands are higher and possibly more challenging to achieve. You could experience heavy menstrual losses depleting your iron levels faster meaning you may need more iron, or have a medical condition where iron is not as well absorbed in the gut from your food.

Ensuring optimal iron intake is key to achieving (and maintaining) a sense of energy and vitality for both you and your baby. In fact, correct iron intake is important before, during and after pregnancy.

Yes, you can take Perdays Pregnancy Iron whilst breastfeeding. Iron status post-partum is often overlooked, however, for those with a history of iron deficiency prior to or during pregnancy, blood losses during birth and post-partum and for those who had less than 18 months between pregnancies, it is particularly important.

Check in with your health care provider about your iron status whilst breastfeeding and post-partum. Whilst you may not be menstruating, iron levels being low can worsen fatigue and some research suggests may increase the risk of post-partum mental health concerns (Wassef, Nguyen, St-André, 2019).

Not necessarily. If your health care provider has identified you could benefit from an iron supplement, Perdays Pregnancy Iron can support you in maintaining healthy iron levels.
If you are planning a pregnancy, it is a good idea to ensure your iron stores in a good place before pregnancy to avoid iron deficiency or iron deficiency anaemia during or after pregnancy. We love to hear women being proactive about their health, so speak with your health care provider about your iron status and if an iron supplement is right for you.

Perdays Pregnancy Iron contains iron glycinate. This form of iron is generally better tolerated and is known to cause fewer symptoms of constipation and gastrointestinal upset. These symptoms are commonly experienced with other iron supplements that contain forms such as ferrous sulfate and ferrous fumarate. Iron bisglycinate is just as effective as these other more constipating forms when it comes to improving levels of iron in the blood (Duque et al., 2014).

Supplementing with iron has a few benefits including:
-Helping to maintain healthy iron levels which helps support healthy immune function and energy levels
-Iron supplements also work quicker than dietary strategies to help support iron status, although it is still important to incorporate iron-rich foods into your diet, especially when trying to conceive or pregnant.

It is important to not take an iron supplement without prior advice from your health care provider, taking an iron supplement without needing to can impact your absorption of other nutrients including calcium and zinc. Always seek individual health care advice from your provider.

Your iron demands are dynamic from pre-conception through to breastfeeding and post-partum.

Whilst menstruating, according to the Australian guidelines a woman’s demands for iron are about 18 mg per day to maintain her iron status (this is about 32 mg per day for vegan and vegetarians).

During the first trimester, iron demands are actually lower than pre-conception, however when entering the second and into the third trimesters iron demands quickly inflate due to the rapid expansion in blood volume.

Iron requirements to maintain iron status are estimated at 27 mg per day (and about 49 mg per day for vegan and vegetarian mums), which is a high amount to reach through diet alone. If your health care provider identifies a deficiency you may need even more iron to replenish your levels.

Post-partum, iron requirements drop again especially whilst menstruation has stopped. Iron requirements drop to 9 mg per day (or about 16 mg per day for vegan and vegetarian breastfeeding mothers), until menstruation then resumes and iron requirements double and increase to 18 mg per day once again.

Maintaining adequate iron from pre-conception through to post-partum is important for having a feel-good pregnancy and avoiding symptoms of fatigue, restless legs, dizziness and poor concentration. Poor iron status has also been linked to increased risks of post-partum depression (Wassef, Nguyen, St-André, 2019).

Vitamin C enhances the body’s ability to absorb iron in the small intestine. Perdays Pregnancy Iron contains 125 mg of vitamin C which can improve absorption of iron by up to 67%*.

Yes,some women that are more at risk of iron deficiency compared to others due to certain health and lifestyle factors.

Examples of Women who may be more at risk of iron deficiency include:

– Women who follow a Vegan or vegetarian diet (this group requires 80% more iron than the RDI)
– Women who experience heavy menstrual bleeding (for example those with endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids)
– Women who exercise intensely (some iron is lost through sweat)
-Women with malabsorptive gastrointestinal concerns such as Coeliac Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and history of bariatric surgery.
– Women who have closely spaced pregnancies ( Less than 18-24 months since delivery of last baby).

The capsule is small, easy to swallow and odourless. The diameter is around the size of a 5 cent coin and is about half a centimetre in thickness.