Pregnancy places major demands on the body, because the mother must meet the needs of both her body and her growing baby. The body needs enough iron and folate to make the right amount of red blood cells. To prevent anemia during pregnancy, the expectant mother should stay in close contact with her doctor, and be sure to eat a diet that includes foods rich in iron and folate, like liver and dark green leafy vegetables.

There are a number of different types of anemia and the symptoms will vary by type. In general, potential causes include a number of disease such as heart disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and cancer; inflammatory disease like rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel syndrome; and a number of other conditions such as excessive blood loss, nutritional deficiencies, adverse reactions to certain medications, chemotherapy, and certain problems affecting bone marrow.

Aplastic Anemia may be caused by injury to the bone marrow by radiation, chemicals, various medications, viruses, immune diseases, pregnancy, insecticides and pesticides. It is important to realize that bone marrow failure is a very rare response to a wide variety of possible causative factors to which we are all commonly exposed. In most cases of Aplastic Anemia, we do not find any link with environmental factors.

The fertilised egg normally spends 4-5 days travelling down the tube from the ovary to the cavity of the womb where it implants, usually 6-7 days after fertilisation. The most common reason for an ectopic pregnancy is damage to the fallopian tube, causing a blockage or narrowing. There could also be a problem with the walls of the tube, which should normally contract and waft the fertilised egg into the womb.

Anemia results when there is not enough iron in the blood to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. Baby and toddlers, pregnant and menstruating women, and people who have lost blood need more iron.

The symptoms of anemia can include headache, fatigue, weakness, difficulty in thinking. With severe anemia, other symptoms, such as shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat, may be experienced.

Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia usually develops when your body cannot absorb this vitamin from food. This can happen if:1, 2 You have pernicious anemia. In pernicious anemia, your body destroys the cells in your stomach needed to help your body absorb vitamin B12. You have had surgery to remove part of your stomach or the last section of your small intestine (ileum ).

Anemia, an abnormally low level of red blood cells, is a common complication of cancer and treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Both cancer and its treatment can interfere with the supply of red blood cells - by inhibiting the production of bone marrow, or as a result of chronic blood loss during surgery. Although it is seldom life-threatening, cancer-related anemia can cause overwhelming fatigue, and may have a severe impact on quality of life.

Having an increased need for folic acid, as might happen with pregnancy or certain medical conditions, such as sickle cell disease. Not absorbing or retaining folic acid. If you drink too much alcohol or have severe kidney problems that require blood-cleaning procedures, your body might not absorb folic acid.

Molar pregnancy is thought to be caused by a problem with the genetic information of an egg or sperm. A molar pregnancy can develop during the earliest stage of a pregnancy when: abnormal egg with no genetic information is fertilized by a sperm. The sperm's chromosomes duplicate and develop into a complete mole. A normal egg is fertilized by two sperm. This cell mass is most likely to develop into a partial mole. A diet low in carotene (a form of vitamin A).

In more than 50% of breech births, there is no apparent cause for the fetus's failure to turn head-down.2 However, there are a number of conditions that make a breech presentation more likely, including:3 Labor that begins before the 37th week of pregnancy (preterm labor), before a fetus is likely to turn head-down on its own. Multiple pregnancy. Limited space for two or more fetuses can prevent them from moving into the head-down position before delivery.

Rh sensitization happens when the mother's Rh-negative blood mixes with the baby's Rh-positive blood. For most women, this happens during childbirth. It may also happen during a miscarriage or abortion, or in women who share needles to take illegal drugs. If you are pregnant and have Rh-negative blood, and the father of the baby has Rh-positive blood, your fetus could have Rh-positive blood. If both you and the baby's father have Rh-negative blood, your baby will be Rh-negative.

Overall, the most common cause (80-85%) of maternal hyperthyroidism during pregnancy is Graves’ disease (see Graves’ Disease brochure) and occurs in 1 in 1500 pregnant patients. The diagnosis of hyperthyroidism can be somewhat difficult, as 123I thyroid scanning is contraindicated during pregnancy due to the small amount of radioactivity, which can be concentrated by the baby’s thyroid. Consequently, diagnosis is based on a careful history, physical exam and laboratory testing.