New Study, Co-led by MIDB Researchers, Highlights Prevalence and Risks of Iron Deficiency During Pregnancy

Four MIDB researchers– Michael Georgieff, MD, David Schneck, MS, Saonli Basu, PhD, and Annette Xenopoulos-Oddsson, MSc– were recently published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition for their groundbreaking study on iron status during pregnancy.

Conducted in collaboration with lead author Elaine McCarthy, PhD, at University College Cork, Ireland, the study followed 641 women throughout their pregnancies. By the third trimester, more than 80% of participants were found to have iron deficiency– despite none starting their pregnancies with anemia.

"This study shows that iron deficiency is incredibly prevalent during pregnancy, even in high resourced countries. This is the first study to document this across the entire pregnancy and to establish cut-offs for iron status early in pregnancy to protect the brain of the developing fetus. Hopefully, this will result in mothers being screened early in pregnancy and having any iron deficiency treated," said Georgieff, co-director of the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) and professor in the Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, and Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

The research also revealed that women who took iron-containing supplements early in pregnancy were less likely to develop iron deficiency, underscoring the importance of early intervention.

“Iron deficiency during pregnancy can have serious consequences for both mother and child,” Georgieff said. “Iron deficient mothers have more adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm delivery and bleeding postpartum. Their infants are more likely to be small for dates and iron deficient at birth. All of these can compromise the short-term and long-term neurodevelopment of the infant, including increasing the risk of major psychopathologies like autism and schizophrenia.”

Unlike guidelines from many international organizations, current U.S. recommendations do not recommend routine iron screening for pregnant women unless anemia is present. As a result of these findings, the authors are advocating for updates to these guidelines, emphasizing that universal screening and supplementation should become standard practice to protect maternal and fetal health.

“Proactively addressing iron deficiency can have lifelong benefits for mothers and their children, ensuring healthier pregnancies and developmental outcomes,” Georgieff said.