Anaemia

A study done by Max HealthCare done in the year 2007 has shown that 40 to 80 percent of pregnant Indian women are anaemic. Anaemia can be considered as one of the main pregnancy complications.

Dr. Vanita Raut, Gynaecologist and Obstetrician from LH Hiranandani Hospital says, "When you are anaemic, your immunity levels go down and you may be more prone to infections. Apart from that, if there is lot of blood loss during delivery, it may prove fatal."

As far as your baby is concerned, if you are severely anaemic, your baby may have low birth weight and could be undernourished as well.

Also Read: Find Out More on Anaemia During Pregnancy

How You Can Prevent It

Make sure the iron in your body is at the right level - it is indicated by your haemoglobin level, which must be ideally between 12-14 and never below 10. Have iron supplements as directed by physicians regularly, in case your haemoglobin is low.

Also include lot of fruits and vegetables like pomegranate, beet root and dry fruits like dates, which are rich in iron in your diet.

Haemorrhage

According to a study done by Dr. B Rao on Indian Maternal Deaths in Dr. C.S. Dawn's book, almost 22 per cent of women suffer from haemorrhages or bleeding during pregnancy.

"Haemorrhage can happen anytime during pregnancy, delivery or even immediately after delivery. This can prove fatal for both mother and the baby", adds Dr. Narsapur.

If proper and timely treatment is given for haemorrhages, the risk of fatality can be reduced.

How You Can Prevent It

Haemorrhages occur mainly because of high blood pressure. So if you have gestational high blood pressure during pregnancy, make sure it is under control by regular exercise and controlled yet balanced diet to prevent such haemorrhages.

You can also control your blood pressure by reducing the amount of salt in your food and monitoring your blood pressure properly and also taking your blood pressure medicines, if any, on time and regularly.