Pregnancy and anemia Relation between maternal anemia and iron deficiency

Part of the rationale for this practice is the high iron requirement during pregnancy, almost 3 times that required for nonpregnant women of childbearing years, which is difficult to meet from dietary sources. Another reason for supplementation is that anemia caused by iron deficiency alone or in combination with other factors, eg, folate deficiency, vitamin A deficiency, and malaria, has been implicated as having several negative effects on maternal and fetal health. Therefore, anemia prevention through iron supplementation may help to improve reproductive outcomes.