hemoglobin levels in obstetric population

hemoglobin values in 9550 mothers delivered in the ob. & gyn. dept. of amin medical center were studied. hemoglobin levels of less than 11gr/100ml which is usually considered to be to the lower limit of normal for pregnancy were found in 2410 patient (25.3%) this rate has been recorded to be 19-30 percent in the u.s.a., 36 percent in western venezuela, 57.4 percent in india and about 80 percent in bengali. in 4740 individuals (49.6%) the hemoglobin levels were below 12gr/100ml which is similar to the rates recorded for american women. the rate of anemia somewhat rises in our series with increasing number of pregnancies.