Data on Hb referred to the first test
requested in the first prenatal consultation
and, consequently, researchers considered
that pregnant women were not receiving
iron supplementation. Pregnant women
with iron supplementation at the time of
blood collection were not included in the
sample. This was possible because the city
has a reflective tool attached to the medica records, which is completed with data from
the prenatal card, thus enabling information
about the beginning of prenatal care
and laboratory test results to be obtained,
even when performed in other services. All
tests were performed in the city’s Central
Laboratory, which uses a Cell-Dyn 3000
(Abbott) automated cell counter to analyze
Hb. Gestational age at the time of Hb assessment
was calculated, considering the
date of the last menstruation and the date
of blood test. Pregnant women with an Hb
count lower than 11.0g/dL1
were considered
to be anemic. Data on Hb were analyzed
according to the gestational trimester when
the test was performed