Routine prenatal screening revisited

Routine obstetric screening for all prenatal checkups is an important issue. This article is an attempt to answer the value of such screening in the case of hematocrit. Charts of pregnant women in the Family Medicine Practice Center at the American University of Beirut (AUB) over the last eight years were reviewed. Demographic data and hematocrit values were collected. The mean value of the hematocrit in our sample was 35.87. The prevalence of anemia was 7%; 31% of the sample were primigravida. The age group 15 to 19 years had the highest risk for developing anemia. Increased parity was associated with increased risk for anemia. Intake of iron on presentation was common (17%), and it reached statistical significance in the presence of anemia. It is concluded that there is need for more critical consideration of iron supplementation. The question of routine screening with hematocrit in the first prenatal visit should be reevaluated and patients who are at high risk should be screened.