[Preventive use of iron in pregnancy--a luxury or a necessity?].
In an exploratory study 128 healthy gravidae were given 0.114 g of iron daily from the 14th week of pregnancy until birth. Hematologically and clinically important parameters during pregnancy, birth, and puerperium were compared with an untreated control group of 115 gravidae. Following iron prophylaxis, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, and erythrocyte count were significantly higher at the time of birth; however, obstetrically significant parameters were unaffected. In view of the low incidence of anaemia during pregnancy and birth, as well as the completeness of the prenatal care system, general iron prophylaxis is unnecessary. High-risk pregnancies are an exception to this rule. The high incidence of anaemia early in puerperium justifies adequate, i.e., high-dose, oral iron therapy from the first day of the first week of confinement on wards.