Maintaining iron homeostasis is of great importance to the growing fetus and neonates. There is no consensus as to whether the neonates iron status is determined by fetal demands or by maternal iron status. There is no conclusive data confirming the likelihood of neonates born to anemic mothers suffering from compromised iron status.  Therefore the aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship of iron indices  between maternal and cord blood collected  from mother and infant pairs and explore the association of maternal anemia on the iron status indicators of  the cord blood.

This prospective study included 60 mother and newborn pairs. The study population was subdivided as anemic and non-anemic groups based on hemoglobin (Hb) levels. The maternal venous blood samples were collected 1.5 h ± 20 min before the delivery. 5 ml of cord blood was collected soon after child birth. Samples were analyzed for hemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin and iron.

Significantly lower values of  Hb, Ferritin, iron (p < 0.05) was observed in  neonates born to anemic mothers when compared to the indices of neonates born to non-anemic mothers. On multivariate linear regression analysis , maternal Hb showed positive linear correlation with  cord Hb and ferritin (r =0.87, p<0.05). However, correlation between maternal Hb  and cord iron was not significant.

Maternal anemia can effect neonatal iron stores. Lowered concentration of iron status indicators in cord blood of neonates born to anemic mothers indicates that fetal iron transfer may be dependent on that of the iron stores of the mothers.  However, this process may involve complex factors.