Maternal hemoglobin concentration and birth weight
American Journal of Clinical NutritionPublished 1 May 2000Open access
Philip Steer
Citations359
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.11
SNIP1.75
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TL;DR
Pregnancy requires additional maternal absorption of iron and a hemoglobin concentration <95 g/L in association with a mean corpuscular volume <84 fL probably indicates iron deficiency, although this is widely regarded as indicating anemia in the pregnant woman.
Abstract
Pregnancy requires additional maternal absorption of iron. Maternal iron status cannot be assessed simply from hemoglobin concentration because pregnancy produces increases in plasma volume and the hemoglobin concentration decreases accordingly. This decrease is greatest in women with large babies or multiple gestations. However, mean corpuscular volume does not change substantially during pregnancy and a hemoglobin concentration 120 g/L at the end of the second trimester are associated with a 84 fL, should be considered optimal.
Keywords
Medicine
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