IMPACT OF MULTIPARITY ON IRON CONTENT IN MULTIPAROUS WOMEN
Abstract
Background: The effect of multiple pregnancies, a very common pattern in reproductive lifestyle ofPakistani women, needs to be addressed to see if it affects the iron content and hence cause irondeficiency. Recognising this deficiency prior to development of anaemia can prevent disastrousconsequences that can complicate the life of the mother and foetus especially in developing countries.The objective of this study was to assess the effect that the stress of multiple pregnancies has on the ironstatus of the body. Methods: This comparative study was conducted in a focus group of femalepopulation. Two hundred subjects were selected by convenient sampling and grouped depending ontheir parity status. Data regarding diet, and socioeconomic history was collected on pre-designedquestionnaire. Serum Ferritin was used to assess iron deficiency using the ElectrochemiluminescenceImmunoassay (ECLIA). Data was statistically analysed using SPSS-17. Results: Mean value of serumFerritin in the nulliparous group was 76.52±4.92 ηg/mL with 16% of nulliparous subjects showinglower than normal values. Thirty-six percent of uniparous subjects showed low serum Ferritin values,mean value being 45.74±4.51 ηg/mL. Seventy-two percent of the multiparous subjects showed irondeficiency with Ferritin levels of <20 ηg/mL. Mean serum Ferritin in this group was 25.21±2.75ηg/mL. The differences between the Ferritin levels of the study groups were highly significant(p<0.01). Conclusions: Multiparous women had lower serum Ferritin levels than the control groupsuggesting that the stress of multiple pregnancies takes its toll on the iron content of the body.Keywords: Multiparous, Ferritin, Iron deficiency, Electrochemiiluminescence ImmunoassayReferences
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