Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia During Pregnancy: Screening

The USPSTF routinely highlights the most critical evidence gaps for making actionable preventive services recommendations. For each evidence gap below, research should focus on settings similar to those in the US to assist in generalizability to a US primary care population.

1. Research is needed in pregnant persons with iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia to assess whether changes in maternal iron status (e.g., because of supplementation or treatment for screen-detected populations) improves maternal and infant health outcomes in settings relevant to US primary care clinical practice.
2. Research is needed to assess the benefits and harms of screening (e.g., with hemoglobin, hematocrit, or ferritin values) for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy on maternal (e.g., quality of life or need for transfusion) and infant (e.g., low birth weight or preterm birth) health outcomes.

Research Taxonomy:For additional information on research needed to address these evidence gaps, see the Research Gaps Taxonomy table on the USPSTF website .

The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in pregnant persons to prevent adverse maternal and infant health outcomes.

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