If you are 6-9 months pregnant, YOU are not ANEMIC!
This blog post is referenced from The Root Cause Protocol’s website and is going to be a spotlight on the “anemia of pregnancy,” which is a condition thatI have recently learned about, and is “myth-treated” in the world of conventional obstetrics and midwifery. They sadly don’t seem to be aware of the natural concept of “hemodilution” that occurs during the course of pregnancy and I am going to shed some light on what I have learned to help save you and your baby some stress.
It is time we had more accurate information on the maternal metabolic dynamics that are at play in your bodies. We are going to cover three key topics in this post:
The hypoxia-driven state of pregnancy, that causes magnesium loss and drives proliferation
The amazing Cupro {copper} dynamics of key enzymes that run and regulate pregnancy dynamics
The absolute fact that Mother Nature expects your hemoglobin to drop in the last trimester
the partial pressure of Oxygen (pO2) in the air we breathe is ~21%. Nitrogen is ~78% of that same air…and this (pO2) drops as it gets distributed to various organs around the body, as noted in the diagram above. And why is this important?
The oxygen concentration in the womb in the 1st trimester of pregnancy is ~1-3% — which is hypoxic! (i.e., “anaerobic!” which requires magnesium to produce energy). What is critical to understand is that there is high proliferation of tissue in an anaerobic environment.
The oxygen concentration in the womb in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy is ~5-8% — which is normoxic! (i.e., “aerobic!” which requires copper to produce energy). What is equally critical to understand is that there is high differentiation of tissue in an aerobic environment.
As you reflect on what’s happening metabolically throughout the course of the pregnancy, these difference and changes make perfect sense.
Metabolic dynamics and key copper enzymes:
An oversight of conventional obstetrics, is the fact that copper and iron dynamics are central to oxygen transport, energy dynamics, metabolic and structural development, to name but a few factors, not the least of which is the actual transfer and regulation of these metals between mother and fetus.
What is important to understand is that there are three KEY enzymes (engines) that are regulating the flow and dynamics of these metals:
Ceruloplasmin,
Hephaestin, and
Zyklo-WHO?!?…
It is absolutely stunning to me that these critical metalloenzymes are not routinely assessed as part of a normal obstetrics check-up. They have a profound role to play in the proper, normal and natural transfer of copper and iron between the players. There are at the forefront of oxygen <> energy metabolism.
You are NOT “Anemic!”:
It is a known biological fact that all mammals experience a drop in hemoglobin during the 2nd half of the pregnancy. It is the natural order of this process.
Sometime around the 1st World War, the League of Nations (precursor to the U.N.) did a study of iron status in society and “discovered” that pregnant women, representing ~1% of society, were “anemic!” – as they should be. But this “perceived deficiency” was turned into a “condition,” and the world has never been the same since.
This so-called “anemia” was the basis for the iron fortification programs that started at the outset of the 2nd World War. Yes, they decided to “inoculate” the 99% of society that was not pregnant to ensure that there would be no iron deficiency in society.
In one study, Dr. Steer and colleagues examined 150,000 live births in England to assess the correlation between mother’s hemoglobin (Hgb) status and baby’s birth weight – a sign of a healthy new born.
What they learned, which is vital to this post, is the following:
Non-pregnant women’s Hgb: 12.5 – 13.5 mg/dL
Pregnant women’s Hgb in 1st Half of Pregnancy: 12.5 – 13.5 mg/dL
Pregnant women’s Hgb in 2nd Half of Pregnancy: 8.5 – 9.5 mg/dL
That is an enormous change in hemoglobin status and given that hemoglobin represents ~70% of the body’s iron status, this is the only marker that should be used. Serum ferritin levels are not really relevant to “iron status” during pregnancy. What is critical to understand is that there is a complete lack of awareness and understanding of this seminal research in the world of obstetrics, which is quite alarming.
Now, that is the experiential side of this issue. In actual practice, in a rigorous study, the mother’s Hgb was found to be much lower than is considered “safe and/or healthy” in today’s world of obstetrics. Lower Hgb is the driver for a healthier baby. Unfortunately, this lower Hgb is also considered the driver for greater blood loss during the course of delivery.
Thus, there is a conflict in the training of birthing practitioners. The decided emphasis is upon increasing iron status – as measured by Hgb – which is known to affect the baby’s health status and is suspected to improve the chances of lower blood loss. And it turns out that this latter issue is a case of mistaken dynamics that iron and copper play in the microcirculation, which is where “hemostasis” (stemming the blood loss) actually takes place. It is safe to conclude that practitioners are trained that iron is key, and the total lack of any copper awareness shows that they are not being trained in the vital and central roles that bioavailable copper plays in stopping blood loss.
KEY INSIGHT #1:
Low hepatic copper = HIGH hemorrhaging and increased bleeding time (Schuschke et al, 1995b). Profoundly important correlation.
KEY INSIGHT #2:
There are 3 key factors in homeostasis:
Activation of platelets
Aggregation of platelets, and
Adhesion of platelets to endothelial cells
Copper deficiency affects both Thromboxane (TxA2) and von Willebrand Factor (vWF) that are key to bringing about homeostasis:
Copper deficiency increases TxA2 to increases activation and aggregation.
Copper deficiency decreases vWF to slow/prevent adhesion of the aggregated platelets! VWF is Copper-dependent vWF is MIA in obstetrics! This is a stunning and glaring defect of obstetrics!
KEY INSIGHT #3:
Lack of bioavailable copper destroys the natural structure and function of the microcirculation!
Lack of BH4 (Folate is copper dependent) lowers NOS function and thus, production of NO• {Nitric Oxide}
Lack of CuZnSOD (copper dependent) increases O2- that destroys availability of NO•
Lack of copper prevents both:
NO•-Heme binding in GC-S (soluble Guanylate Cyclase)
NO• Activation of GC-S!
(These critical concepts are profiled in Fig 5 of Schuschke, 1997)
Lack of copper also destroys lysyl oxidase enzyme that is also involved in wound repair…
Lack of copper weakens the energy/ATP production and “intelligence” of endothelial cells, which are active participants in any hemostasis process!
It boils down to this…
Pregnant women NEED bioavailable copper. Lack of bioavailable copper is a HUGE problem when pregnant for the health of mother and baby. Look at adding sources of bioavailable copper, retinol, magnesium and adrenal support as a part of a healthy pregnancy and life. The majority of humans do not have enough bioavailable copper, and without a focused effort from a variety of angles, it’s difficult to support this aspect of our metabolism, especially after most of us have many years (if not a lifetime) of not having sufficient for ourselves, let alone our babies!
