Anaemia and pregnancy outcomes in a South African rural population

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the booking haemoglobin (Hb) did affect the mode of delivery or the birth weight. A total of 3,214 booking Hb was available from 1,628 primiparas and 1,586 multiparas. A total of 507 had a caesarean section and 2,707 a spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD). Moderate and severe anaemia were defined, respectively as an Hb of <10 and <8 g/dl. There were only 112 women with recorded evidence of iron and folate supplementation. The overall prevalence of anaemia was 19.7%. Multigravidas with SVD had a 22.5% prevalence of booking Hb <10 vs 14.2% in primigravidas (p < 0.0001). The prevalence of severe anaemia was similar for all subgroups. Simple regression analysis showed no significant correlation between the booking Hb and pregnancy outcome in terms of birth weight or mode of delivery. However, booking visit anaemia could predispose to caesarean delivery. Documented iron and folate supplementation did not appear to result in different pregnancy outcomes.