In a recent study (Suboptimal iron deficiency screening in pregnancy and the impact of socioeconomic status in a high-resource setting | Blood Advances | American Society of Hematology (ashpublications.org) conducted by Jennifer Teichman, MD of the University of Toronto, she found one out of every two pregnancies were affected by iron deficiency. A simple blood test can check iron status. Yet, despite how easy it is to check and to treat, health care systems are not doing a very good job checking iron status during pregnancy.
In the study conducted by Dr. Teichman, 40% of women never had their iron levels tested. Of the rest who were tested, most were tested during their first prenatal visit when the risk of iron deficiency is lowest. Iron needs increase as a pregnancy progresses and most women become deficient in their later trimesters. Iron requirements are high in pregnancy to support the developing baby, growing placenta and the increased blood supply needed to sustain the pregnancy. Knowing this, a woman’s iron status should be tested more than once during the nine months of pregnancy.
Dr. Teichman also cautioned that prenatal vitamins are not sufficient to meet iron needs. Most brands do not offer enough iron and it is often combined with calcium which can inhibit the absorption of iron. Iron deficient women often need 10 times the amount of iron found in prenatal vitamins which should be given as a separate supplement.
