Cerebroplacental Ratio During the Third Trimester of Pregnancy: A Prospective Case-Control Study

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate iron deficiency anemia and its severity in relation to the cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) in the third trimester of pregnancy. Methods: The research was planned as a prospective study. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that hemoglobin (Hb) level should remain above 11.0 g/dL during pregnancy. The WHO guidelines define Hb values between 10 and 10.9 g/dL as mild anemia, and between 7 and 9.9 g/dL as moderate anemia. The CPR was calculated by dividing the middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCA PI) by the umbilical artery (UA) PI. Results: Of the 108 pregnant women in this study, 40 were grouped as moderately anemic, 34 as mild anemic, and 34 as healthy. Demographic characteristics were similar between the groups. MCA PI values were 1.89 +/- 0.34 in the moderate anemia group, 1.63 +/- 0.32 in the mild anemia group, and 1.57 +/- 0.39 in the control group, and there was a significant difference among the groups (p<0.001). UA PI values were 0.92 +/- 0.18 in the moderate anemia group, 1.01 +/- 0.15 in the mild anemia group, and 1.01 +/- 0.14 in the control group (p=0.013). While the MCA resistance index (RI) values were similar between the groups (p=0.836), there was a significant difference between the groups in terms of UA RI (p=0.042). CPR PI values were 2.11 +/- 0.43 in the moderate anemia group, 1.62 +/- 0.22 in the mild anemia group, and 1.56 +/- 0.4 in the control group (p<0.001).Conclusion: Our results suggested that MCA PI, UA PI, UA RI, and CPR PI were altered in the presence of iron deficiency anemia in the third trimester of pregnancy.