Health status and fatigue of postpartum anemic women: a prospective cohort study

Abstract Objective The incidence of postpartum anemia is high. Current therapy consists of iron supplementation or blood transfusions, based on the assumption that these treatments improve health status (HS) and reduce fatigue. The aim of this study was to compare HS and fatigue in postpartum women with and without anemia. Study design This prospective cohort study was performed in The Netherlands between April 2008 and August 2010 and involved 112 anemic (hemoglobin [Hb]  Results After adjustment for confounding variables, there were no differences in any of the HS and fatigue scores. HS and fatigue seem to be more influenced by a complicated delivery than by anemia. HS and fatigue scores significantly improved over time in all women. Conclusion HS and fatigue were not different among women with and without postpartum anemia.