The Effect of Dragon Fruit Juice on Hemoglobin Levels in Pregnant Women in the Third Trimester at the Pakis Health Center

Yunia Lucky Afifah, Nila Widya Keswara

Abstract

Anemia during pregnancy is a common maternal health issue, especially in the third trimester, and may lead to serious complications for both mother and fetus. Anemia is characterized by low hemoglobin (Hb) levels, which can cause fatigue, premature labor, postpartum hemorrhage, and low birth weight. Nutritional interventions using natural ingredients such as red dragon fruit juice (Hylocereus polyrhizus) have the potential to increase hemoglobin levels due to their content of iron, vitamin C, and antioxidants. This study aims to determine the effect of red dragon fruit juice on hemoglobin levels in third-trimester pregnant women at the Pakis Public Health Center. This is a quantitative study using a pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest approach. A total of 20 third-trimester pregnant women were selected using purposive sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Respondents received 250 ml of red dragon fruit juice daily for seven consecutive days. Hemoglobin levels were measured before and after the intervention using a digital hemoglobinometer. Data were analyzed using the paired t-test. This study suggests that red dragon fruit juice can be used as a natural and practical nutritional intervention to help prevent and manage anemia in pregnancy, especially in primary health care settings.