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Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Natural Remedies / Natural Ways to Resolve Anemia in Pregnancy (no iron pills!)

Natural Ways to Resolve Anemia in Pregnancy (no iron pills!)

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Who are Most at Risk for Anemia in Pregnancy?
  • Dangers of Anemia in Pregnancy
  • Why You Should Avoid Inorganic Iron (Yes, Those Pills Your Doctor Prescribed)
  • Natural Ways to Relieve Anemia in Pregnancy
anemia in pregnancy diagnosed with pin prick

Anemia in pregnancy is an extremely common condition. Even for those women who otherwise experience few problems and whose pregnancies are considered low risk, iron deficiency anemia (IDA) can frequently crop up especially in the final trimester.

The typical suggestion in prenatal exam rooms when a hematocrit or hemoglobin test reveals that an expecting mother is suffering from low iron levels or anemia is to prescribe iron pills. Unfortunately, not only do these pills not work very well, but the inorganic iron in these supplements is not bio-available and can contribute to health problems (think gnawing on a chunk of iron from the local hardware store).

Fortunately, there are effective ways to increase a mother-to-be’s intake of organic iron, which is easily absorbed and metabolized by the body to achieve the desired increase in hemoglobin in the blood. 

Who are Most at Risk for Anemia in Pregnancy?

Let’s look at what might cause issues with low iron or anemia in pregnancy to begin with.

First, women who are pregnant with more than one baby are obviously most at risk for developing this condition during gestation. Women who have had two pregnancies very close together experience a lower, but similar risk.

Morning sickness can play a role in pregnancy anemia as this can cause the mother-to-be to not eat enough iron rich foods or to vomit what she does manage to get down the hatch.

Finally, women who were anemic before becoming pregnant have a high risk of the condition continuing throughout gestation.

Signs of pregnancy related anemia include the following according to The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy:

  • Pale skin, lips, and nails
  • Feeling tired or weak
  • Dizziness
  • Air hunger or shortness of breath
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Trouble focusing

Dangers of Anemia in Pregnancy

While anemia in pregnancy is very common, its effects are very serious indeed. This is why women with blood levels of iron that are too low are prevented from having their babies at a birth center or at home and are required to deliver in a hospital environment. Some of the short and long-term risks of anemia in pregnancy include:

  • Baby that is preterm
  • Baby that is low birthweight
  • Emergency blood transfusion after delivery from loss of blood
  • Postpartum depression
  • Anemic baby that suffers from developmental delays

While women are typically tested for anemia early in pregnancy, a negative result does not mean she is in the clear. Most prenatal providers will test again in the second or third trimester to be sure anemia did not slowly creep up. In fact, a common scenario is for a low hematocrit to suddenly appear in the later stage of pregnancy when everything was fine earlier in gestation.

Why You Should Avoid Inorganic Iron (Yes, Those Pills Your Doctor Prescribed)

When anemia in pregnancy is diagnosed, iron pills are the go-to solution for most prenatal care providers. The trouble is, these things don’t work very well and should be avoided due to a potential aggravation of inflammatory conditions.

According to Dr. Nicole Dinezza, organic iron (from food) and inorganic iron (from supplements like iron pills or cast iron pans) are processed differently in the intestinal tract. Organic sources of iron require an additional (beneficial) processing by the liver before being fully metabolized. An increasing amount of research suggests that an excess of inorganic iron in the diet is responsible for encouraging a cascade of inflammatory conditions.  

Dr. Lawrence Wilson MD discusses more about the dangers of inorganic iron and the toxicity of iron added to processed foods and supplements in this article.

The rub with all of this is that you can be faithfully taking iron pills or other supplements containing iron and still remain anemic due to the lack of bio-availability of inorganic iron. Not only are they ineffective, iron pills frequently cause uncomfortable side effects such as constipation, diarrhea, leg cramps, and/or nausea. In addition, black stools are a frequent occurrence for those who take iron pills, one indication of how indigestible these things are! Such side effects do not occur when consuming food sources naturally high in organic iron (discussed below).

This is why when your prenatal care provider suggests iron pills for a low hematocrit, you might want to consider doing what I did. Smile, politely decline, and embrace the natural alternatives that will provide bio-available, organic iron to your diet instead.

Natural Ways to Relieve Anemia in Pregnancy

I suffered from low iron with all three of my pregnancies. Fortunately, it only cropped up late in the third trimester each time and was easily resolved with a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses every day stirred into a glass of grassfed milk. Blackstrap molasses is naturally very high in organic iron and a great food to naturally boost blood levels of this mineral. While some research suggests that milk interferes with iron absorption, I can personally attest to the milk/molasses approach working very effectively for me. It is possible that for some, it might make the iron less bioavailable.

In those cases, you can take the molasses in water instead. According to the book The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Childcare, an easy way to take 1-2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses each day is in a mug of hot water. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil (virgin or expeller pressed) and 1/2 teaspoon of ground or fresh ginger if you are in need of a pick-me-up (who doesn’t during pregnancy?). This healthful beverage also makes a good coffee substitute during pregnancy as well if you are trying to avoid caffeine.

Other natural ways to combat anemia in pregnancy include:

  • Eat liver! Liver is very high in organic iron. Check out this delicious liver pate recipe with video tutorial. It is wonderful to spread on toast. Sourdough and sprouted crackers work well too. Liver also contains plentiful natural Vitamin A which is necessary for proper absorption of iron. If you can’t stomach liver for whatever reason, desiccated liver capsules are an excellent alternative. My family and I use this brand which is made from certified organic liver from cows grazing on grasslands in the United States. Be wary of some desiccated liver brands that remove the fat which denatures the product. You only want desiccated liver with nothing added and nothing removed!
  • Don’t be scared of red meat. A juicy grassfed steak is good for improving iron levels and is not going to harm your health. (2)
  • Avoid refined carbs, sugar, and antibiotics (and the Pill before getting pregnant) as this encourages gut imbalance and the development of abnormal gut flora. According to Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, an unbalanced gut can frequently thwart efforts to resolve anemia naturally because a particular group of pathogenic bacteria that thrive in this type of intestinal environment love iron! These strains (Actinomyces spp., Mycobaterium spp., Corynebacterium spp., and others) consume whatever iron a person gets from the diet leaving them deficient and sometimes anemic. Iron pills actually make the problem worse as they provide food for these pathogenic strains making their hold in the gut ever stronger with no resolution of the anemia and sometimes worsening of the condition.
  • If the blackstrap molasses approach doesn’t appeal to you, this brand makes a product with organic iron and herbs to assist absorption. It also serves as a digestive aid. The dosage is .34 ounces (10 mL) twice each day. It can also be used throughout pregnancy as a preventative for anemia, not just when the condition has already become a problem.

Did you have a problem with low iron or anemia during pregnancy? What natural approaches for resolving this nutritional deficiency did you use that worked?

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Category: Healthy Pregnancy, Baby & Child, Natural Remedies
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

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Reader Interactions

Comments (40)

  1. Marilyn

    Dec 17, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    Interesting article! In my latest pregnancy (3rd) my iron levels tested very good. I asked my midwife what she thinks I’m doing correctly and she said she thinks it’s all the free range eggs I consume 😉

    Reply
  2. Rachel

    Dec 16, 2015 at 9:09 pm

    I took Floradix during my last pregnancy and had severe stomach issues with it. I ended up discontinuing use (never told the midwives) and ate more meat during the latter half of the pregnancy. My baby was born full term, great birth weight and has developed fine. I’d tell women not just follow their doctor’s suggestions, listen to your gut! I had a feeling my gut health was being comprised so I made sure I had lots of fermented foods before the GB test. My midwives were desperately looking for something to get me on (they later fired me because they disagreed with my parenting).

    Reply
  3. Michelle

    Dec 16, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    What about the sugar in Black Strap Molasses? One tablespoon is 15grams – that’s like a cake slice. My doctor put me on ferrous bisglycinate, Hemagenics. She said it was absorbable form. Thoughts? I don’t think it’s a natural form. Has anyone tried MegaFood – Blood Builder? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Dec 16, 2015 at 5:57 pm

      Yes, there is sugar in blackstrap molasses, but it is unrefined and loaded with minerals … like iron 🙂

    • Olivia

      Dec 31, 2015 at 12:06 am

      Ferrous bisglycinate (particularly the nature bounty brand) is by far the best there is. I have been iron deficient my whole life and have tried pretty much everything. This works, and works well.

    • Laura

      Mar 4, 2016 at 8:24 am

      My midwife recommended Megafoods Blood Builder for my second (and 3rd and 4th) pregnancy after I was borderline anemic and then hemorrhaged during my first birth. It worked great and didn’t cause nausea, etc. I’m sure liver or molasses are fantastic too, but I didn’t know about them at the time. I took 2 a day until my iron levels were up then maintained it at 1 for several months after giving birth.

  4. Vickii

    Dec 16, 2015 at 3:23 am

    Please verify your dosage recommendation for Floradix. 2-4 ounces twice a day is potentially unsafe and huge dose. This must be a typo, and I would hate someone to use your recommendation.

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Dec 16, 2015 at 7:55 am

      Thank you for catching this … the serving size is 10mL which is equivalent to .33 ounces. I will fix this now 🙂

  5. Katie

    Dec 15, 2015 at 7:43 am

    I believe Floradix has ferrous gluconate in it which is a synthetic iron. Many prescription or OTC iron supplements also have ferrous gluconate. The Floradix has herbs added to the liquid, but the iron itself is synthetic.

    I recently was diagnosed as anemic and did not want to go on synthetic iron supplemnts. I recently found two products that only contain iron from plant material:
    (1) Garden of Life mykind Organics Plant Iron & Organic Herbs. – I only just began taking this, so I cannot report to its efficacy yet. While I’m thrilled to find a whole food iron supplement, I must admit the taste is not that wonderful. They do label the strength per serving and it is equivalent to the Floradix (10 mg iron/10 mL).

    (2) Trilight Health’s Tri-Iron All Natural Herbal Mineral Iron Supplement. – I only purchased a small bottle of this as the company was new to me. However, the taste is amazing and very palatable to take. A strength is not given on the label though as far as how much iron is in a serving. It does suggest a dosage but I am not aware of how much iron is in a serving.

    Just wanted to share two fully natural products I found in my search to correct my anemia.

    Blessings to you and thank you for all the information you share here~
    Katie

    Reply
    • Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

      Dec 16, 2015 at 8:00 am

      Thanks for these additional sources!

  6. Ns

    Dec 15, 2015 at 4:22 am

    The floradix i used contained msg. (Found out later). But maybe there are other versions.

    Reply
    • Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

      Dec 15, 2015 at 5:47 pm

      What was the ingredient that contained MSG that you noticed?

  7. Robert

    Dec 15, 2015 at 4:07 am

    How do you correct the imbalance problem of and excess of Actinomyces spp., Mycobaterium spp., Corynebacterium spp., and others?

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Dec 15, 2015 at 6:58 am

      The GAPS Diet, SCD Diet, or Autoimmune Paleo protocol. All of these diets address gut imbalance and are followed for a temporary period of time to rebalance gut flora and heal and seal the gut wall.
      https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/gaps-or-autoimmune-paleo-to-heal-autoimmune-disease/

  8. Betsy Bloomfield

    Dec 15, 2015 at 12:15 am

    I couldn’t stomach liver, but grass-fed dessicated liver capsules rocketed my iron levels during my 3rd trimester when my numbers dropped quite low. It worked much faster than floradix for me.

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Dec 15, 2015 at 6:58 am

      Thanks for suggesting that … yes, desiccated liver capsules are a great option.

    • Dali

      Dec 15, 2015 at 10:57 am

      Do you take the full dose all at once? Without food? I’ve been taking Hemogenics which has ferrous bisglycinate, per my midwife’s recommendation. I’m pregnant and get short of breath easily and am really weak in the mornings. I’d like to switch to a more natural iron supplement.

  9. mary harvey

    Dec 14, 2015 at 10:21 pm

    Thank you so much for this article and the research you’ve completed in order to write all of this out! I am very appreciative of your time and hard work. I’ve been exhausted and felt “unwell” for so long and I’ve tried many things, not knowing what the root cause was and then finding out I needed extra iron. Of course, my doctor recommended the iron pills you mentioned 🙂 I’m happy to find this wonderful alternative. Thanks again!
    Mary

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Dec 15, 2015 at 6:59 am

      I hope you feel better soon Mary! Let us know how you are doing once you get more organic iron sources into your diet.

  10. Hilary

    Dec 14, 2015 at 8:05 pm

    What about the Floradix pills, are those also organic iron? TIA.

    Reply
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