Why anaemic, pregnant women are at risk of excessive bleeding during delivery

Pregnant women with anaemia are twice as likely to need blood transfusions after a caesarean delivery than those without the condition, according to a new study.

The study by the American Society of Anaesthesiologists shows many pregnant women are not screened for iron deficiency during antenatal clinics yet it could lead to anaemia.

Anaemia is a deficiency in red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body and can cause serious problems in pregnant women such as excessive bleeding.

Such bleeding, called post-partum haemorrhage, is a major cause of maternal mortality with women who deliver their babies by caesarean section at high risk.

In some instances, the researchers say, many women who are not anaemic early in pregnancy become anaemic as their increasing need for iron grows. In such instances, the condition is discovered late in pregnancy making it more difficult to treat quickly and efficiently.

"If screening for iron deficiency is not done in all women at the first prenatal visit, many who are iron deficient, but not yet anaemic, will not be identified. Our study suggests that we should consider screening all women for iron deficiency early in their pregnancies,” says Dr Ghislaine Echevarria, the study’s lead author.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), 47 per cent of pregnant women in Kenya do not attend the recommended four or five antenatal clinics despite the country having 92 per cent of these women attending at least one.

WHO adds that most maternal deaths are caused by pregnancy related issues such as unsafe abortion and obstetric complications such as severe bleeding, infection and obstructed labour. Anaemia also increases the risk of pre-eclampsia.