Iron deficiency in early pregnancy may be associated with lower language and motor development scores in children at two years of age, according to new research from the University College Cork (UCC).
Babies born to mothers who were iron deficient early in pregnancy had lower iron stores at birth while more than 40 per cent of women had low iron stores by mid-pregnancy. The researchers have called for routine screening for iron deficiency in pregnant women.
The findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition, build on research released last year which showed that four in five pregnant women in Ireland are iron deficient by the third trimester.
The latest research was carried out by the Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research (Infant) at UCC and partners at the University of Minnesota and the Masonic Institute of the Developing Brain. It included 189 mother-child pairs.
RM Block
Dr Elaine McCarthy, lead researcher and lecturer in nutrition at UCC, said iron deficiency was very common in pregnancy, “even in high-resource, low-risk settings” such as Ireland.
“This new research provides an early indication of the lasting consequences of iron deficiency without anaemia in pregnancy, further emphasising the importance of adequate iron nutrition during pregnancy to protect the developing infant brain,” she said.
“These findings highlight the need for screening for iron deficiency in women during pregnancy, and trials to look at the benefit of targeted supplementation in women with low iron stores; not just focusing on anaemia in pregnancy.”
Prof Mairead Kiely, professor of human nutrition at UCC, said without a diagnosis of anaemia, more than two in five women had low iron stores by mid-pregnancy, which was associated with lower language and motor scores in childhood developmental assessments at two-years-old.
“The widespread malnutrition of iron and other nutrients among women requires attention as malnutrition is intergenerational and has lasting effects which we are only starting to uncover now,” she said.
“Our aim is to support women. With the right information, dietary guidance and early screening, iron deficiency is something we can address effectively.”
At present, routine screening for iron deficiency is not part of standard antenatal care in Ireland or many other countries, with no universally agreed definition of iron deficiency during pregnancy.
The research team believes the evidence supports earlier pregnancy screening for iron deficiency, clearer diagnostic guidelines and greater awareness among healthcare providers and expectant parents.
