Managing Postpartum Anemia and Hemoglobin Levels

While the importance of optimizing a woman's hemoglobin level during the peripartum period has been emphasized in recent guidelines by the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology, the ACOG, and the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Society, postpartum anemia remains a real issue in both the developed and developing world. Postpartum anemia has been associated with depression, fatigue, impaired lactation, and impaired cognition. This may lead to impaired maternal-child bonding. Additionally, severe anemia during the antepartum interval is an important predictive factor of PPH! This relationship was shown in a published meta-analysis in 2021. Postpartum, IV Fe has been proven to be of value for asymptomatic anemia. Packed RBC transfusion may be recommended for women with postpartum hemoglobin levels