Fatigue during pregnancy is not unusual for most expectant mothers, but it's also one of the many symptoms of iron-deficient anemia. According to the National Institutes of Health, half of all pregnant women are iron deficient.

Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia and occurs when a woman's iron stores have been depleted. This depletion is often caused by heavy menstrual cycles prior to pregnancy. Women with a history of fibroids are especially vulnerable to iron-deficiency anemia.

How important is iron in pregnancy? "Iron is necessary for both fetal-placental development and to expand the maternal red cell mass," says Dr. Kevin Pho, an internal medicine physician in Nashua, N.H.

Often, the symptoms of iron-deficient anemia are easily overlooked or credited to a different health problem.

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