Iron is an essential nutrient that helps our bodies to transport and release oxygen to all our cells. Iron works in partnership with
folic acid and
vitamin B12 to produce 'haemoglobin' or red blood cells. Haemoglobin carries the oxygen around in our body and can be tested for in blood tests. Red blood cells live for 4 months before regenerating, numbers can deplete if a person becomes iron deficient.
Women require additional iron because of menstruation each month. Pregnant women need more iron to support their pregnancy and the growth of their baby, as well as tolerate the normal blood loss at birth, recover to cope with early parenting and to produce breast milk. Women who are low in iron (whether pregnant or not) may be more tired, pale, lethargic and irritable than would normally be expected.
Women of childbearing age (18 to 50 years) need approximately 15 to 18 mg per day. This increases to about 22 to 27 mg per day during pregnancy, especially during the last 3 months of the pregnancy when her baby stores iron in their liver. The baby's 'iron storage' is nature's way of providing them with adequate iron for the first 6 months of their life after birth, before they need to start eating solid foods. During breastfeeding a woman's iron requirement will slowly decrease (after recovering from the normal blood lost at the birth) and will tend to be about 10 to 12 mg per day, until her periods recommence.
Plant foods (or 'non-haem' sources of iron) are not as readily absorbed into the body as animal foods (or 'haem' sources). It is thought that the differences are about 10% absorption for plant foods and about 25% absorption for animal foods. Plant sources of iron include dark, green, leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli and parsley), breads, grains, cereals, potatoes, dried fruits, beans (baked, green, kidney, black), peanuts, sunflower seeds, molasses and tofu.