During a thorough examination, each doctor always looks at the amount of hemoglobin in the patient’s blood, its norm is variable, especially for the female half of humanity. There is a table that lists all changes in hemoglobin levels according to age. You can determine it if you pass a general blood test, and you need to monitor its level constantly, because even the slightest fluctuations in it can indicate serious health problems. But what should be the normal level of hemoglobin in the blood of women at one age or another? What is hemoglobin in general and what role does it play in the human body?
What is hemoglobin?
Hemoglobin is an organic pigment of red color. Its basis is considered protein. If you look at the name itself, then it speaks for itself - globin and gemma - this is the part in which iron is the main element. Hemoglobin is an essential element of red blood cells that transport oxygen. At a time when blood enters the lungs, hemoglobin attaches oxygen to itself and oxyhemoglobin appears. Blood, saturated with oxygen, has a bright red color, it supplies all cells and tissues with the necessary element.
Oxyhemoglobin after it saturates the tissues of the human body, breaks down. Blood passing not through the arteries, but through the veins, is considered venous, and it has a more saturated color, and this is due to the fact that it does not contain oxygen, but carboxyhemoglobin is present. But before you figure out what is the norm of hemoglobin in the blood of women, you need to know what the analysis represents, which shows its content.
General hemoglobin test
When a specialist performs a blood test under a microscope and using special methods, he determines the level of hemoglobin in a mixture of arterial and venous blood. Various kinds of diseases that progress in the body adversely affect the production of this most important protein; a person may not even suspect many of them.
If the patient has anemia or a lack of oxygen in the tissues, then his hemoglobin level immediately decreases significantly, which means that all organs are stressed and they need to be urgently saved. In this state, there is an active production of red blood cells in order to deliver such necessary oxygen to the cells. But, as mentioned earlier, the norm of hemoglobin levels in women’s blood is determined by a general blood test, and before you donate it, you need to properly prepare.
How to analyze and prepare for it
Reliable data on the level of hemoglobin in the blood can be obtained only if you properly prepare for the study. For this, a blood test is taken, but for the accuracy of the indicators, several important rules must be observed:
- Blood sampling for hemoglobin (the norm in the blood of women, men, children may vary slightly, but not significantly) is carried out in the morning and on an empty stomach, in addition, the patient should take food no earlier than 8 hours before the procedure.
- One day before the appointed date for blood sampling, fried and spicy foods should be excluded from the diet.
- Also, a couple of days before the test, you should not visit the bathhouse and conduct any kind of thermal procedure.
- Refrain from smoking one hour before the test.
- It is not recommended to conduct an analysis after undergoing x-rays and other physiotherapeutic procedures.
- It should be remembered that the result may be affected by emotional overstrain and physical activity.
To see a low or high indicator, you need to know what is the norm of the level of hemoglobin in the blood for women and men.
Normal hemoglobin level
The table below shows the hemoglobin rate for both sexes, starting from birth and ending with advanced age:
Patient age | floor | Hemoglobin level (g / l) |
From the first days to two weeks | m / f | 135-200 |
From 2 weeks to a month | m / f | 115-180 |
From a month to two | m / f | 90-130 |
From two months to six months | m / f | 95-140 |
From six months to a year | m / f | 105-140 |
From one year to five years | m / f | 100-140 |
From five years to 12 | m / f | 115-145 |
From 12 to 15 years | well m | 112-152 120-160 |
From 15 years to 18 | well m | 115-153 120-160 |
From 18 years old to 65 | well m | 120-155 130-160 |
After reaching 65 years | well m | 120-157 130-160 |
It is worth remembering that hemoglobin (the norm in the blood of women, men, children is about the same) differs slightly, and the normal limit can range from 110-160. Moreover, with age, the blood becomes much thicker, which is why more protein should be present in it, which means that the level of hemoglobin will be higher. But what happens in the body if the hemoglobin level is low or high?
Low hemoglobin
The norm of hemoglobin in women in the blood (the table of levels is described above) is known, but if the level is lower than indicated, then anemia develops. There are a lot of factors that provoke it. Most often, a reduced level is due to a lack of vitamin B12 and folic acid, without which hemoglobin and erythrocytes cannot be synthesized, and anemia can develop due to chronic pathologies accompanied by bleeding, for example, stomach ulcers.
The hemoglobin level may decrease in a patient after taking a large amount of blood, for example, if a person is a donor, in the presence of some pathologies. Women who follow a figure and often refuse to eat well are also prone to anemia, as they often eat foods low in iron. What hemoglobin in women’s blood is the norm, we know, but its reduced amount can lead to serious consequences.
Signs of low hemoglobin
You can determine low Hb levels yourself if the following symptoms appear:
- noise in ears;
- dry and pale skin;
- tachycardia;
- cracks in the corners of the lips;
- insomnia;
- headaches and dizziness;
- dry and brittle hair;
- dyspnea;
- darkening of enamel nails;
- fast fatiguability;
- weakness;
- yellow plaque on the lips;
- the tongue becomes scarlet.
All these symptoms suggest that an urgent analysis is needed to help determine hemoglobin in women (normal, high and low). Very often, hemoglobin decreases in women who have babies, their symptoms may be specific.
Symptoms of Anemia in Pregnant Women
Very often in pregnant women, a low level of hemoglobin is manifested in the form of impaired smell and taste sensations. It is for this reason that women want to gnaw chalk, some simply lick whitewash from the walls, you rarely see such, but it happens. You can often notice how women eat raw meat or look for places where you can breathe in specific flavors, such as gasoline, paint, thinner or exhaust fumes.
All these signs indicate that the level of hemoglobin in the blood (the norm in women in position ranges from 110-160 g / l) is reduced, so you need to urgently consult a specialist who will conduct an examination and prescribe treatment. Very often, therapy can be based on proper nutrition.
What should I eat with low hemoglobin?
Everyone has long known that pregnant women should not take a number of drugs, in addition, due to individual characteristics, there are also a number of drugs that the body rejects. It is in such cases that it is recommended to change the diet and enrich it with products enriched with iron. Doctors recommend eating:
- grenades;
- eggs
- nuts
- liver;
- legumes;
- fish.
In addition, foods rich in vitamin C, such as cranberries, currants, and citrus fruits, should be present in the diet. We have already decided what the level of hemoglobin in women’s blood is, and now let's talk about what indicates its excess.
High hemoglobin
The most common situation is when the hemoglobin level is below normal, but it can also become high. At the same time, the blood becomes even more viscous and taking a patient’s analysis becomes very difficult, even during collection it can immediately be assumed that hemoglobin is much higher than normal. Increased indicators may indicate such pathologies:
- Congenital heart defect;
- erythrocytosis (this is when the level of red blood cells rises);
- burns;
- bowel obstruction;
- diabetes;
- heart and lung failure.
But there are other reasons that lead to the fact that the norm of hemoglobin in women is increased. An increased level may indicate dehydration, but most often in this condition the indicator can be false, and if you just adjust the fluid intake, everything normalizes.
Also, addiction (smoking) or a place of work located at high altitude can lead to increased hemoglobin levels. In this case, the body produces a large amount of hemoglobin, and all due to the fact that the higher the floor, the less oxygen. If abnormalities are found, then an urgent need to undergo an examination and identify the true cause, do everything possible to undergo treatment.
What will help return hemoglobin to normal?
If hemoglobin has increased or decreased, and this is a consequence of any pathology, then correctly selected treatment will help to normalize everything in a very short time. In those women who have female diseases, only after their elimination and activation of natural hematopoiesis can hemoglobin be restored. The norm in women by age can change during menopause, and in this case, the appropriate drugs will also help.
A decrease in the level of internal bleeding can also be caused, and until they are eliminated, it will not be possible to return everything to a normal state, moreover, even small blood loss inside the body can become fatal, therefore it is better to consult a doctor immediately and find out what triggered the manifestation of anemia .
With increased hemoglobin, a high concentration of blood cells and red blood cells, breathing of tissues and blood circulation is difficult, this condition is quite dangerous.
Conclusion
Summing up the above, we can say for sure that each person should regularly monitor the level of hemoglobin, and for any jumps immediately seek help from a doctor. Correctly determine the cause of fluctuations will help the examination, which, in addition, will allow you to choose therapy, it will not only help get rid of the disease, but also bring hemoglobin back to normal.