Iron-deficiency anemia in pregnant women in industrialized countries is 17.4%, with approximately 9% of adolescent girls and women of childbearing age in the United
States having inadequate stores of body iron.
20
The high incidence of iron deficiency underscores the need for iron
supplementation in pregnancy. During
the first two trimesters of pregnancy,
iron-deficiency anemia increases the risk
for preterm labor, LBW, and infant mortality.
18
Maternal and fetal demand for iron increases during pregnancy; this increase cannot be met without iron supplementation.