Objective:
The effects of hemoglobin levels checked prelabor in 3rd trimester pregnant women to the week of birth and birth weight are researched.
Material and Method:
Five hundred sixtytwo patients who gave birth in Okmeydanı Research and Education Hospital, between 1 August-30 October 2014 have been separated into 3 categories regarding their hemoglobin levels. 328 patients with a hemoglobin level of between 11-13 g/dl was recorded as Group 1, 174 patients with a hemoglobin level of between 9-11 g/dl was recorded as Group 2, and the remaining 60 patients with a hemoglobin level of less than 9 g/dl was recorded as Group 3. Patients’ age, birth type, gravidity and parity, hemoglobin, hematocrit and MCV values, their week of birth and birth weight have also been recorded. Births before the 37th week were marked as preterm births and babies weighing less than 2500 grams were marked as low birth weight babies.
Results:
In an analysis based on birth weight, a clear difference between the groups has been observed. Patients in Group 3 with (p<0.05) hemoglobin<9 g/dl were determined to have a lower average birth weight in comparison to those of Group 1 and 2. No significant difference was determined statistically, based on the week of birth and the birth type. However, as the parity increases, an increase in the rate of patients with lower hemoglobin was observed.
Conclusion:
In this study, a low birth weight has been observed in the pregnant women with low hemoglobin values at their 3rd trimester. Especially, hemoglobin values of <9 g/ dl were observed to have caused low birth weight.
Keywords: birth weight, hemoglobin levels, week of birth, 3rd trimester