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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
Published on: June 28, 2024
Maternal anemia and pregnancy outcomes: a population-based study
Rachael H Beckert1, Rebecca J Baer2,3, James G Anderson4
1Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA. Rachael.Beckert@ucsf.edu.
Objective:
This study aims to describe adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in women diagnosed with anemia in pregnancy.
Study Design:
This was a retrospective cohort study of California live births from 2007-2012, linked to maternal and infant hospital discharge records. Relative risks of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes were calculated for women with and without anemia.
Results:
Anemic mothers were more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes, placental abruption, or chorioamnionitis, or require a blood transfusion or admission to the intensive care unit (aRRs 1.2-6.8). Infants born to anemic mothers were more likely to be born preterm (8.9% versus 6.5%), but not more likely to suffer morbidities associated with prematurity.
Conclusion:
In a population-based study, the diagnosis of anemia in pregnancy carries a higher risk of peri-partum, intra-partum, and post-partum complications for the mother, and a higher risk of preterm birth for the infant.
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