Madrid Spain.- 70% of pregnant women in Havana suffer from anemia, reported Dr. Jordanka Rodríguez Morales, first degree specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Eusebio Hernández Hospital.
Although Rodríguez Morales pointed out that this is the figure collected in the hospital where he works, he also assured that “it is almost the generality in the other maternity hospitals in the city.”
The also head of Obstetrics in said institution, popularly known as Maternidad Obrera, specified in an interview with Tribune of Havana that many women in period of gestation They arrive at the hospital with 10 grams per liter of hemoglobin in their blood, and many with up to 8, so they must be transfused.
The specialist explained that a woman with anemia is considered to be one that is below 11 grams per liter of hemoglobin. And it can be mild (less than 11, but up to 10 grams); moderate (between 10 and 8), and severe (less than 8).
“Arriving at a delivery or cesarean section below 11 hemoglobin increases the risks, even for life. Childbirth generates significant blood loss, hence the need to prevent in time, “she warned.
Rodríguez Morales acknowledged that the prenatal tablets that the Cuban health system generally guarantees are currently in short supply.
“Now they are deficient and an alternative is ferrous fumarate or also ferrous sulfate. Although their use is really part of the therapy, we indicate them so as not to deprive the patient of iron supplements that are essential during pregnancy, and whose doses correspond to each stage, ”she added.
In addition to recommending that women of childbearing age plan their pregnancy to achieve adequate hemoglobin levels beforehand, the doctor suggested a diet rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals; at a time when Cuba is experiencing extreme shortages.
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