title: Efficacy of daily versus intermittent administration of iron supplementation in anemia or blood indices during pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pregnant women take iron supplements in order to prevent iron deficiency anemia which may have undesirable effects for both the mother and fetus. This study aimed to compare the daily and intermittent dose of iron supplementation in blood and iron indices in healthy pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this clinical trial study, 145 healthy pregnant women were selected with Hb≥11g%. The participants were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 received daily iron supplement at 50 mg/day and group 2 received an intermittent dose of 3 times per week. Blood samples were assessed for complete blood count (Hb, Hct, RBC), iron, ferritin and zinc at baseline in the first trimester in all participants and the two groups were compared in regard to mean changes from baseline to the end of the study period in the third trimester. This clinical trial was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (www.irct.ir) with registration number ID: 2012082810682N1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of iron deficiency anemia was 2.7% in both groups. The mean levels of Hb, Hct and RBC in the first trimester were 13.3 g/dl, 39.4% and 4.5 mil/ml(3), respectively. At the end of the study, Hb, Hct, and RBC reduced significantly in both groups compared with baseline values (p<0.05). The difference from baseline in Hb and other blood indices did not differ significantly across the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that daily or intermittent administration of iron supplement to pregnant women has the same outcome. Regarding the side effects of iron in pregnancy, intermittent method seems preferable to daily intake.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Farahnaz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sadighian
authors.forename: Haydeh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haydeh Samiei
authors.forename: Haydeh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alaoddolehei
authors.forename: Narges
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kalantari
keywords: Ferritin; Iron deficiency; Iron supplement; Pregnancy; Zinc