Written by: Verena Köhler, Anne Schuchanegg, Lara Wartak
Reading time: 4 minutes

Eversince Bloom was founded we cared about female* health. Today’s blog focuses on a very specific group of people: Moms** who have recently given birth. 

The months of pregnancy are filled with continuous medical checkups to ensure both mom and fetus are healthy and safe. In many countries, the iron status is assessed during that time and supplements are prescribed to avoid deficiencies. After the baby is born, the focus shifts completely towards the newborn – and the mom’s regular checkups are often neglected. Sometimes moms may even stop taking supplements altogether. 

This phenomenon is reflected in scientific literature, or the lack thereof: The majority of investigations focus on iron deficiency of moms during pregnancy or iron deficiency of the newborns. But there is only little information regarding iron deficiency or anemia in moms and whether or not to regularly supplement iron after birth. And although recommendations on iron supplementation in postpartum women by the WHO exist, the authors of the respective guidance document themselves address the lack of evidence these recommendations are based on.

This raises the following questions:

1. Are women prone to iron deficiency after giving birth? 

As the fetus grows, the mom’s body’s need for iron increases significantly, which is why many women* suffer from iron deficiency during pregnancy. In addition, there can be considerable blood loss during childbirth. To rebuild the lost red blood cells, the body requires iron, which further depletes iron stores. Overall, iron deficiency in pregnancy in combination with loss of large amounts of blood during childbirth can lead to a severe lack of red blood cells, called anemia. Even in developed countries the prevalence of anemia in women after childbirth can be as high as 22 – 50 %. In summary, women are more prone to iron deficiency (and potentially anemia) after childbirth, especially when they already were iron deficient during pregnancy.

1. How can iron deficiency be detected?

Many symptoms of iron deficiency are rather unspecific: Fatigue, dizziness, unusual tiredness, weight loss and pale skin can also have many other causes. Even worse, they can be attributed to the sleepless nights and stressful times when having a newborn, so that iron deficiency can easily be overlooked. A well-established biomarker for checking iron levels is ferritin, which is routinely used in clinical practice. It is directly correlated with iron stores, meaning that a high ferritin value is indicative of high iron levels and a low ferritin value is indicative of low iron levels. 

1. Does this in any way affect the baby? 

This question is not just relevant for breastfeeding moms, but counterintuitively also for formula-feeding moms – but in a different way one would think. First things first: Babies are born with iron stores of their own, usually sufficiently stocked to last for several months. Furthermore, studies have shown that the iron status of the mom does not affect the iron content of her* breast milk, which varies only little over time and is relatively low in general (the same is true for infant formula). That being said, having low iron stores can impact the mental and physical well being of the mom, hence affecting the baby indirectly. Iron deficiency after childbirth in moms should therefore definitely be detected and tackled! 

The Bloom Ferritin Test can measure ferritin from a few drops of blood and within 10 minutes. The results are available on the Bloom App within minutes after completing the test, including a personalized interpretation and recommendations on how to combat iron deficiency, if necessary.

While having a baby can be a magnificent experience, it is also very demanding and usually leaves very little time for the mom to truly take care of herself. The Bloom Ferritin Test meets moms where they are – at home with their babies. 

If you are a doctor, midwife, physical therapist or other medical professional wanting to partner with Bloom to provide mom’s the analysis they need, right where they need it, reach out to us and become a Bloom Partner.

Discover the Bloom Ferritin Test now.

Bloom Diagnostics – Making healthcare more accessible. 

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*inclusive term for people with ovaries
**inclusive term for people that have given birth, to be used throughout the blog post

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References

1. Guideline: Iron supplementation in postpartum women. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2016. 
2. Moya E, Phiri N, Choko AT, Mwangi MN, Phiri KS. Effect of postpartum anaemia on maternal health-related quality of life: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health. 2022 Feb 21;22(1):364. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-12710-2
3. Shashiraj, Faridi MM, Singh O, Rusia U. Mother’s iron status, breastmilk iron and lactoferrin–are they related? Eur J Clin Nutr. 2006 Jul;60(7):903-8. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602398
4. Iron Deficiency Anaemia: Assessment, Prevention, and Control: a Guide for Program Managers. Geneva: World Health Organization.; 2001. 
5. Neef V, Choorapoikayil S, Hof L, Meybohm P, Zacharowski K. Current concepts in postpartum anemia management. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2024 Jun 1;37(3):234-238. doi: 10.1097/ACO.0000000000001338
6. Georgieff MK. The importance of iron deficiency in pregnancy on fetal, neonatal, and infant neurodevelopmental outcomes. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2023; 162(Suppl. 2): 83-88. doi:10.1002/ijgo.14951
7. Andréanne Wassef, Quoc Dinh Nguyen & Martin St-André (2018): Anaemia and depletion of iron stores as risk factors for postpartum depression: a literature review, Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, doi: 10.1080/0167482X.2018.1427725