A study of 641 pregnant women in Ireland found high rates of iron deficiency, particularly in the third trimester, despite being generally healthy and living in a high-resource setting. In a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , researchers studied iron status changes in primiparous females in high-resource settings. They proposed an early pregnancy ferritin threshold that predicts iron deficiency in the final trimester.
Background Iron deficiency is common among pregnant women due to the higher iron requirements to ensure fetal development and maternal wellness. Maternal iron deficiency can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as postpartum depression, preterm birth, low birth weight, and small-for-gestational-age birth. It can also impair fetal iron accumulation, resulting in long-term neurodevelopmental effects and an early onset of iron deficiency after birth.
However, prospective and well-powered analyses of changing iron levels in pregnancy are limited. The degree of iron deficiency at the beginning that compromises iron status by the end of pregnancy is unclear. A global consensus on pregnancy-specific thresholds for many biomarkers is lacking.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends ferritin 4.40 mg/L yielded prevalence rates of 7.20%, 13%, and 61%, respectively.
Related Stories Targeted therapy improves pregnancy outcomes Deadly high blood pressure during pregnancy is on the rise Brazil nuts reduce inflammation and improve g.