Suggestion of an active transport of iron to the fetus in human pregnancy and its dependence on maternal serum iron levels.

Jaffar Ali, B.Sc., M.Sc. Specialist and Reproductive Research Center, National Family Planning Board, clo Division of Haematology, Institute for Medical Research, Pahang Road, Kuala Lumpur 02-14. difference (P< 0.001) between cord serum iron levels and the maternal iron levels shows that an active transport mechanism working against a gradient in favour of the fetus exists. The availabilz"ty of iron to the fetus appears to be dependent on maternal serum iron levels but not on maternal iron stores. Thisfi"nding serves to stress the importance of iron supplements in pregnancy. A hypothetical modelfor iron transfer from maternal circulation to fetal circulation is described.