03/06/2025

LYFE TUESDAY | JUNE 3, 2025

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such as spinach and kale. The first advise to overcome anaemia is to change the dietary habits to incorporate the above dietary changes. The next step is vitamin supplementation. Both government and private healthcare services often prescribe supplements to help mothers maintain their haemoglobin level above 11 gm. There are many choices of supplementation available – so, look at the content of each supplement brand and choose the one that provides adequate levels of iron, folate and vitamin B12. These steps usually resolve most cases of anaemia. In some cases, a handful of pregnant mothers may be iron deficient due to poor diet or absorption problems. They will require iron through intravenous iron therapy, as a daycare procedure. Cheap iron therapy has a higher allergic and complication rate. The newer versions are much safer, but more expensive. Besides dietary causes of anaemia, a smaller number of women have blood disorders. The most common form is thalassemia. Other forms of blood disorders include spherocytosis, ovalocytosis and other haemoglobinopathies. Meaning, they cannot produce proper red blood cells that last 120 days compared with normal people and breakdown faster resulting in anaemia. The one thing that most people try to avoid is blood transfusion. This is because there are many complications related to blood transfusions. However, in certain cases such as thalassemia, blood transfusions may be inevitable for the safety of the pregnant mother and her baby. But, the amount and frequency of the blood transfusion will depend on your doctor’s advice. They will customise your treatment to ensure you have a safe and healthy pregnancy. This article is contributed by consultant obstetrician & gynaecologist, maternal fetal medicine Datuk Dr H. Krishna Kumar.

GYNAE SAYS

A common problem in pregnancy is anaemia. This happens when you have less red blood cells (haemoglobin) in your body. This gives you a pale appearance compared with most pregnant women. Normally, pregnant women are flushed at the cheeks or radiant in appearance and look pink. This is due to the hormonal changes in pregnancy that cause some dilation of the small blood vessels in the cheek. For most of them, their blood volume increases from five litres to 7.5 litres throughout their pregnancy. However, the red blood cell component does not increase as much as the fluid component. This results in a dilutional effect, which is called dilutional anaemia and is considered normal.

One solution is to add more fruit and vegetables into a pregnant woman’s diet.

Am I too pale?

o Dealing with anaemia during pregnancy

of these vegetables include spinach and kale. Legumes and fruits such as oranges and avocados are also rich in folate. Meat especially red meat is high in iron content that allows women to increase their iron load. Chicken liver and gizzard are cheap options of dietary iron. The other options of food high in iron includes shellfish, molasses, legumes and green leafy vegetables

little nutritional value resulting in many Malaysians having anaemia secondary to lack of iron, folic acid or vitamin B12. It is therefore recommended to change the dietary habit to increase fresh vegetables, fruits and iron-rich food in the diet. Green leafy vegetables that are not cooked in a salad is an easy option to increase the amount of folic acid and vitamin B12 in the dietary intake. Good examples

In Malaysia, we have different racial groups with diverse cuisines and appetites. Unfortunately, we consume too much processed or overcooked food. These have very

Anaemia may cause some women to appear pale during pregnancy.

Child mental health can impact ability to work later in life SEVERE mental issues that begin in childhood leave deep scars well beyond the first years of life. A study by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) revealed they can severely compromise the ability to work in adulthood, with considerable social and financial consequences. This research is based on a long-term study of over 6,000 people born in Great Britain during the same week in 1970. This data makes it possible to measure the evolution of participants’ health and career paths from childhood to adulthood. It offers valuable insight into the long-term consequences of physical or mental health issues experienced very early in life. Reduced capacity to work increased risk of having a limited capacity to work in adulthood. For every four children who develop a chronic pathology, one mother leaves the workforce. Often, this is to ensure a continuous presence, manage care and accompany the child on a daily basis – tasks that are difficult to reconcile with a job, even part-time. Withdrawal from the job market weakens the household financially and socially, with lasting repercussions for the entire family unit. All these figures take on an even more worrying dimension in a context where childhood physical and mental health issues are multiplying, and becoming a major public health issue. Investment in prevention For the IPPR, it is time for action. The think tank advocates massive investment in prevention, targeting young people aged 14 to 19 who are about to enter the workforce. It recommended creating a specific children’s investment standard to safeguard spending on children and strengthening the role of the Children’s Commissioner, England’s public health watchdog for children. Recent measures hint at a desire for change, even if their scope remains debatable. The British government claims to have extended access to school-based mental health teams to a further one million children.

It is also promising an extra £680 million (RM3.92 billion) in investment, the recruitment of 8,500 more mental health professionals and the provision of 345,000 additional talking therapy sessions, according to The Guardian . But, doubts persist in the field. For NGO YoungMinds head of external affairs Olly Parker, “the cost to an individual young person who is struggling with their mental health without the right support is

In England, one child in five now has a probable mental health issue, and one in four is obese. These are all warning signs for public services, which are already under severe strain. “Successive governments have failed to face up to the long-term consequences of poor child health,” said IPPR associate fellow and former senior government official on children’s health Amy Gandon.

The study revealed children with severe mental or behavioural issues are 85% more likely to develop depression by the age of 51. They are also 68% more likely to live with a chronic illness that limits their ability to work. But, these findings are not confined to mental health disorders. Children who have experienced chronic physical illnesses are also likely to see a decline in their ability to work, with a 38%

Having less mental pressure will help the child adapt easier to work pressures later in life. – ALL PICS FROM PEXELS

long-term pressures on the state”. Basically, it is a social choice that involves caring for children, not because they will incur costs further down the line, but because they have a right to a professional future. As such, prevention is not a luxury, but a necessity. – ETX Studio

devastating, and the toll is felt on families, friends and the communities around them”. This view is shared by study co-author Dr. Jamie O’Halloran, who sees this as a major issue. He insisted “this is not just a matter of improving individual lives, but also of alleviating