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Supplements During Pregnancy
Are They Really Needed?
Part One
By Allison Gamble, Nutritionist
Now on to the minerals! Iron is needed for the manufacture of hemoglobin. The fetus accumulates the most iron in the last trimester, and draws on the mother's stores as its source for iron. 
Women whose iron stores are exhausted before pregnancy can reduce their baby's risk of anemia by taking iron supplements during 20-24 weeks gestation. If not, it can take up to two years after pregnancy to return to your pre-pregnancy levels. Iron deficiency may cause spontaneous abortion, premature delivery, low birth weight, still birth, and perinatal death due to the lack of oxygen in the mother's cells.
