Obstetrics and Gynecology Commons^™

Association Between Elevated Third Trimester Maternal Haemoglobin And Neonatal Gestational Age Adjusted Birth Weight, Bob Otieno Achila

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Women tend to have lower haemoglobin compared to men due to menstrual blood losses. This is often compounded by nutritional deficiencies. There is a further drop in haemoglobin during pregnancy due to red cell dilution. Pregnancy itself places a huge demand on maternal iron stores. High haemoglobin may reflect haemoconcentration due to a failure of the normal physiological expansion in plasma volume. Iron excess has also been associated with free-radical damage. In current practice, high maternal haemoglobin in pregnancy is often not given as much attention as anaemia. This study examines the association between high maternal haemoglobin in the …