Frequency and Maternal Outcomes in Women with Severe Iron Deficiency Anemia Presenting in Third Trimester

Abstract

Objective: To determine frequency of severe iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and maternal outcome among women presenting in third trimester to a tertiary care Hospital

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried at department of Obs and Gynae LUMHS, from July 2025 to December 2025. Women aged 18 to 45 years, during third trimester (gestational age 25 to 37 weeks) with singleton fetus were included. A 3 cc blood sample was drawn from each case and send to the institutional laboratory to evaluate the severe iron deficiency anemia, which was defined in terms of hemoglobin level <7 gm/dl with serum ferritin <12 ng/mL. Furthermore patients were assessed for maternal outcomes. All the data was collected via study proforma and analyzed on SPSS version 20.

Results: Mean age of women was 30.4 ± 4.4 years, mean gestational age of 36.3 ± 2.6 weeks, mean BMI 24.3 ± 3.3 kg/m², and the overall mean hemoglobin level was 8.0 ± 2.2 g/dL. Around one-third of the women (29.1%) had severe IDA, followed by moderate anemia (45.5%), and mild anemia 25.5%. Gestational hypertension and prolonged labor were observed most common complications, (33.6% and 32.7%) respectively, followed by preterm births (31.8%), antepartum hemorrhage 12.7%, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and wound infection each affected 10.9%. Moreover the less commonly, AKI was occurred in (4.5%) cases and ICU admissions were (4.5%), while no maternal mortality was noted. However, the most of the adverse outcomes were significantly associated with severe anemia in contrast to mildly anemic patients (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The severe Iron deficiency anemia was observed highly frequent among women during third trimester of pregnancy as a significant maternal health concern, predominantly affecting low-income, multiparous women with poor iron supplementation