Intravenous iron in postpartum anemia

Objective: To compare effectiveness of intravenous iron-sucrose versus oral ferrous fumarate in postpartum anemia. Methods: In this study, 40 women with postpartum anemia with hemoglobin (Hb) less than 8 g/dl within 48 h postpartum were randomised into two groups. Group I consisted of 20 women who received 300-600 mg of intravenous iron-sucrose every alternate day for 3 days. Group II consisted of 20 women who were given 300 mg ferrous fumarate orally daily for 14 days. Results: On day 14, the increase in mean Hb level in group I was 2.4 g/dl in comparison to 1.2 g/dl in group II. Women in group I had significantly higher mean Hb values on days 7 and 14 (p < 0.001) than women in group II. Conclusion: These results suggest that intravenous iron-sucrose increases the Hb level more rapidly than oral ferrous fumarate in postpartum anemia without any serious side effects. © 2013 Federation of Obstetric & Gynecological Societies of India.