Identifying and treating iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy

Anemia is com mon dur ing preg nancy, and while most ane mia is phys i o logic, the most com mon path o logic cause is iron defi ciency. The Amer i can College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) rec om mends con fir ma tion of iron defi ciency ane mia with iron stud ies when ane mia is diag nosed dur ing preg nancy but acknowl edges that pre sump tive treat ment for suspected iron defi ciency ane mia is com mon in prac tice. Currently ACOG does not rec om mend treating iron defi ciency with out ane mia dur ing preg nancy. Though the ben e fits of treating iron defi ciency ane mia dur ing pregnancy are clear, the opti mal route of iron reple tion remains uncer tain. Results of ongo ing large, ran dom ized tri als will help define the opti mal route of iron treat ment for preg nant patients diag nosed with iron defi ciency ane mia.