the mean number of supplementations
consumed was 165, 166, and 165, respectively.46
In this respect, it seems
many women were iron deficient when
entering pregnancy, and supplemental
iron was not sufficient to cover the
needs during pregnancy. Study results
of others indicate that IDA in pregnancy
compromised fetal iron reserves39,47
and that iron needs of the fetus take
priority over maternal requirements,48
supporting our result on the benefit
of prenatal iron supplementation. A
previous study21 followed the same
randomized trial20 and showed a benefit
of prenatal MMN on mental development
at 12 months of age. The inconsistent
conclusion with the present
study is probably because the prenatal
iron status was not considered in previous
analyses