Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells which binds with
iron to transport oxygen to all the parts of the body
needing oxygen. Normal levels of hemoglobin for a
woman would be from13 to 16 grams per deciliter.
The body takes about three months to produce
hemoglobin. However, in pregnancy, the volume of
plasma (amber colored liquid without blood cells) in your
body increases by 1.5 liters. Your body can increase the
volume of plasma quickly, but it takes your body three
months to make a red blood cell.
Blood volume expansion is the most important aspect of a
normal healthy pregnancy. Additional circulating blood
volume is needed to supply blood to the enlarged uterus,
the placenta, and the baby.
Because it takes three months to make a red blood cell,
plasma volume increases faster than red cell production
during pregnancy. Since anemia is a measure of the
hemoglobin part of blood, in pregnancy you will test lower
during the period your body is trying to produce
hemoglobin to catch up with the volume of plasma.
In pregnancy, a hemoglobin result of 11 to 13
gram/deciliter (g/dL) would be normal except in the first
three months of pregnancy, when your hemoglobin level
may fall to 11 g/dL and even 10.5 g/dl in the second
trimester.
You can also develop too much hemoglobin in pregnancy.
If your hemoglobin reaches 14 or above, it is higher than
normal. In my experience, if a woman is pregnant with a
hemoglobin level of 14, 15, or 16, this indicates a failure to
expand maternal blood volume. Without an expanded
blood volume, preeclampsia and eclampsia are the most
common conditions associated with an elevated
hemoglobin level.
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