What causes thalassemia in pregnant women?

After becoming pregnant, women need to go to the hospital for regular prenatal checkups. The items for prenatal checkups are different at different stages of pregnancy. During prenatal checkups, many pregnant women are diagnosed with thalassemia. Generally, most pregnant women may not have heard of this disease. After discovering that they have thalassemia, they are particularly worried and afraid. So what causes thalassemia in pregnant women?

What causes thalassemia in pregnant women?

Thalassemia, also known as thalassemia, is a group of hereditary diseases. The pathogenesis is that the globin chains that synthesize hemoglobin are reduced or missing, resulting in abnormal hemoglobin structure. Red blood cells containing abnormal hemoglobin have reduced deformability and shortened lifespan. They can be destroyed prematurely by the liver, spleen, etc. of the human body, leading to anemia and even developmental abnormalities. This disease is medically known as hemolytic anemia.

Effects of thalassemia in pregnant women on the fetus

Thalassemia is a type of marine anemia that is very harmful to the body and can even endanger life. Moreover, what is worrying is that thalassemia is hereditary, so does thalassemia in pregnant women have any effect on the fetus?

Pregnant women with severe thalassemia should pay special attention. If examination confirms that the fetus has severe thalassemia, it is best to perform an artificial abortion and terminate the pregnancy, because this fetus has congenital developmental defects due to genetic defects and may die in the womb, or it may develop fetal edema in the late pregnancy and die shortly after birth. Even if they manage to survive, they will need long-term blood transfusions or bone marrow transplants in the future.

If the test results show that the fetus' genes are normal or that it has mild thalassemia, you can continue the pregnancy and give birth with peace of mind. Mild thalassemia does not require special treatment, while intermediate and severe thalassemia can be treated with blood transfusion and iron chelation. In daily life, pay attention to rest and nutrition to actively prevent infection.

Therefore, it is really necessary for pregnant women to have regular check-ups during pregnancy. This can not only help them understand their own health conditions, but also help them understand the growth of the fetus. They can also find good treatment plans for abnormal reactions of the fetus as soon as possible. Therefore, pregnant mothers must not take it lightly during pregnancy and must observe their own symptoms in a timely manner.