Importance of serum ferritin level in the prediction of fetal birth weight

Abstract

The weight per gestational age reflects an embryo's and infant's growth rate, and is also expressed
as the weight in comparison to what would be predicted by the gestational age. Ferritin is an ironbinding protein that helps to make iron-containing proteins like haemoglobin (Hb) and myoglobin.
The iron reserves in the bone marrow are strongly associated with ferritin levels. And is reduced
until a change in transfirren saturation, serum iron, or (Hb) concentration occurs, making its
estimation superior to transferring saturation or serum iron concentration in the diagnosis of iron
deficiency. The aim of our work is to study the importance of serum ferritin level in the prediction
of fetal birth weight as appropriate for gestational age, small for gestational age or intrauterine
growth restriction. A total of our study included (90) pregnant women who had admitted to
Salahuddin general Hospital Obstetric emergency ward, at the time of delivery during the period of
last 7 months from November 2020 till May 2021.Our study revealed that there is highly
significant relation between serum ferritin at the time of delivery and fetal birth weight. Based on
our findings, we can derive that there is a correlation between ferritin levels in maternal serum at
the delivery time and birth weight. The number of parities also had an impact on birth weight and
maternal serum ferritin levels at birth. To avoid maternal and fetal complications, it is important to
diagnose and treat maternal iron deficiency in the antenatal period. Iron supplementation initiatives
are being implemented to reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency and its negative impact on fetal
development.