Anaemia: Reducing the Risk Antenatally
All women have routie bloods checked at booking and at 28 weeks and this allows an opportunity to optimise haemoglobin (Hb) to improve blood count pre-delivery in-case of bleeding
If Hb is < 110 in first trimester and < 105 in second & third trimester = anameia and treatment indicated
Iron should be prescribed and blood count rechecked 2 weeks after starting iron to ensure Hb responding; an increment in Hb is a positive result
In some cases not responding to oral iron or anaemia diagnosed late in pregnancy, IV iron may be indicated
Of note, iron deficiency anaemia is suggested by microcytic cells (low MCV (mean cell volume)) and a low ferritin
It is important to check and consider the cause of anaemia in all female patients. For instance: in a patient with thalassaemia, iron is not the treatment and would put the patient at risk of iron overload.
