Asian Research Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics

Background: It is thought that anemia ranks as the second most common primary cause of disability worldwide. An estimated 2 billion people worldwide are anemic, and iron deficiency in the diet is thought to be the root cause of 50% of cases, according to the WHO. This study looked at the relationship between pregnant women's hemoglobin levels and dietary iron intake.

Methods: It was a cross-sectional research carried out in Bangladesh's Chuadanga district. Participants in the research were females who tested positive for pregnancy, had their pregnancy confirmed by a mother child health card, and were registered at an antenatal clinic. It comprised 197 expectant women between the ages of 15 and 49 who were willing to voluntarily participate in the research and who regularly visited their prenatal clinic. To analyze nutritional consumption, a 24-hour recall was performed. Microsoft Excel was used to clean, modify, code, and validate the data for accuracy. Using Nutri-survey 2017 statistical software, the 24-hour recall data analysis was done to look for critical nutrient intake. Additionally, the fingertip's side was used to draw the blood sample since it allowed for the greatest blood flow and least discomfort. The link between the two variables was then examined using inferential statistics, and significance was acknowledged at a P-value of less than 0.05.

Results: The Pearson correlation findings showed a slight positive correlation (r=0.1036, 95% CI (0.002-0.20), p=0.04, r2=0.014) between maternal dietary iron consumption levels and hemoglobin levels for expectant women, with the iron levels explaining 1% of the variance in maternal iron concentration.

Conclusion: It is commonly accepted that maternal age and increased parity both contribute to anaemia during pregnancy. Older women are anticipated to be multigravida in addition to the overall body frailty associated with prolonged maternal age. This is due to the possibility that multigravida may cause anemia by lowering maternal iron stores throughout each pregnancy and resulting in blood loss during each birth.