Severe Anaemia in Pregnancy May Raise Stillbirth Risk by 27%: Study

Women who are pregnant in India and have mild or severe anaemia can be at a 27 percent greater risk of stillbirth, as per a recently conducted study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia. As mentioned in the study, women suffering from anaemia in any stage of their pregnancy can be at a greater risk of stillbirths after 28 weeks of pregnancy. Further, it was observed by the scientists that women who suffered from severe anaemia gave birth to dead babies at the 29th week of pregnancy while some of them at the 31st week of pregnancy.

the study was conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Indian Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru.

The scientists highlighted maternal anaemia as a crucial and modifiable risk factor.

Anaemia reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen, which can affect both the mother and the developing fetus. Severe anaemia has long been linked to complications such as premature birth, low birth weight and stillbirth.