Relationship of maternal and cord blood iron stores

Abstract EN

Serum ferritin was measured in 40 term normal pregnant mothers and the corresponding cord blood samples.

All of the mothers had received prophylactic oral iron and folate irregularly during pregnancy.

The mean (± SD) maternal serum ferritin at the end of pregnancy was 58 ± 36 μg / l (range 19-204 μg / l), compared to a mean of 186 ± 61 μg / l (range 67-319 μg / l) in their newborns.

No correlation was found between the serum ferritin of mothers and babies, or between the serum ferritin and serum iron of mothers at the end of pregnancy or between these parameters in the newborn.