Anemia, defined as a decreased concentration of blood
hemoglobin, is one of the most common nutritional deficiency
diseases observed globally and affects more than a
quarter of the world’s population [1–8]. It is a major public
health problem affecting all ages of the population with its
highest prevalence among children under five years of age and
pregnant women [2, 3]. Globally, anemia affects 1.62 billion
people (25%), among which 56 million are pregnant women
[1, 2].
Anemia during pregnancy is considered severe when
hemoglobin concentration is less than 7.0 g/dL, moderate
when hemoglobin falls between 7.0–9.9 g/dL, and mild from
10.0-11 g/dL [2–4]. Anemia during pregnancy is a major cause
of morbidity and mortality of pregnant women in developing
countries and has both maternal and fetal consequences [9–
13]. It is estimated that anemia causes more than 115,000
maternal and 591,000 perinatal deaths globally per year