title: Rethinking iron supplementation during pregnancy.
abstract: Iron supplementation is an intervention frequently initiated without adequate data collection to identify iron deficiency. The physiologic changes of normal pregnancy result in lowered hemoglobin and hematocrit levels and make these lab values difficult to interpret. Because excess iron intake by healthy women may have harmful sequelae, safe practice requires an individual assessment of iron status.
authors.affiliation: Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D007501:Iron