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CME Credit Offered
CME Credit Offered
Abstract Award
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Poster Session 4

(1090) Prevalence of and factors associated with iron deficiency at the time of delivery

Friday, January 31, 2025
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM  
Objective:

Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA), the end-stage manifestation of ID are associated with maternal and fetal morbidity in pregnancy and postpartum. While pregnant individuals are screened for anemia, there is no consensus on the role of routine ID screening. Our study sought to assess the prevalence of ID and IDA at the time of delivery.

Study Design:

This pilot, single-site, prospective cohort study recruited patients with singleton pregnancies at ≥ 36 weeks of gestation during routine prenatal care visits. Patients who had received IV iron during the pregnancy were excluded. Participants completed surveys about their use of iron supplementation during pregnancy and had iron studies and hemoglobin measured on admission for delivery. We report the prevalence of ID and IDA by varying definitions: ferritin < 30 ng/mL, transferrin saturation (TSAT) < 20%, or either criterion; anemia was defined as Hgb < 11 g/dL. Patient characteristics and the rates of anemia were compared among those with and without ID by ferritin criteria.

Results:

Of 92 patients included, 45 (49%) had ferritin < 30 ng/mL, 52 (57%) had TSAT < 20%, and 60 (65%) had either (Figure 1). 10 patients (11%) had anemia, of which 8 (80%) had ferritin < 30 ng/mL. Patients with ID were more likely to be multiparous (60% vs. 36%, p=0.04) and have higher BMI at delivery (median (IQR) 32.0 (28.5-34.3) vs. 29.2 (27.3-31.7), p=0.02; Table 1). 13% of the subjects self-identified as Asian; none had ID. Although the rates of anemia in the 3rd trimester were similar, 19 patients without ID (40%) vs. 5 with ID (11%) reported taking an iron (p=0.001). On admission, 8 (18%) with ID and 2 (4%) without ID were anemic (p=0.048).

Conclusion:

ID was highly prevalent at the time of delivery, exceeding previously published estimates, and associated with anemia. Further research is needed to evaluate the impact of ID at delivery as well as the treatment of ID with and without anemia on perinatal outcomes.