Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia During Pregnancy: Supplementation

The USPSTF the 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 treatment (e.g., oral or intravenous iron) in asymptomatic, screen-detected populations with iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy on maternal and infant health outcomes in settings relevant to US primary care clinical practice.
3. Research is needed to assess the benefits and harms of routine iron supplementation in asymptomatic pregnant persons without known iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia on maternal and infant 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 routine iron supplementation in pregnant persons to prevent adverse maternal and infant health outcomes.

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