Prevalence of anemia and its complications in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy in pregnant women

Abstract

Background: Anemia affects 40% of women during pregnancy leading to harmful consequences of pregnancy, including premature birth, low birth weight, infection, postpartum hemorrhage, and cesarean section.

Materials and methods: In the present retrospective cohort study, 390 pregnant women referred to the gynecology and obstetrics clinic of Amir Al-Momenin Hospital were investigated. Sampling was done in a facilitated manner among the referring women on the mentioned date. After collecting the data, they were analyzed through STATA version 11 software. Comparison of women with and without anemia in terms of pregnancy outcomes was done using independent t-test and chi-square as well as multivariate logistic regression models.

Results: In the present study, it was shown that low hemoglobin and hematocrit in the first-trimester of pregnancy had no significant relationship with pregnancy outcomes. However, low hematocrit in the second-trimester significantly increases the chance of stillbirth, low Apgar score, and premature delivery, while it had no significant effect on other maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnancy.

Conclusion: According to the present study, it seems that hematocrit in the second-trimester of pregnancy can be a predictor of some pregnancy outcomes in the mother and baby. Therefore, it is necessary to check blood indices and anemia in women, before pregnancy and during pregnancy, and in cases where anemia is diagnosed, timely and adequate treatment is necessary.