[Serum ferritin in pregnancy at term and in newborn (author's transl)].

Serum ferritin, -iron, and -transferrin, and red cell blood count in 53 non-selected pregnant women at term, and from the respective cord blood samples were determined. In addition, serum ferritin was measured in 20 infants longitudinally on the first and sixth day of life. The mean cord blood concentrations of fetal serum ferritin were 135 micrograms/l, (maternal: 30,5 micrograms/l), and of fetal serum iron 27,7 mumol/l (maternal: 17,3 mumol/l), and of fetal transferrin 1,6 g/l (maternal: 4,43 g/l). A correlation between maternal and fetal serum ferritin levels could not be demonstrated. There was also no relationship between maternal serum ferritin concentrations and fetal serum iron, transferrin, and red blood count. Within the first week of life serum ferritin levels of the newborn showed a tendency to increase. From these results and from experimental data in the literature, we conclude that the feto-placental unit covers its demand on iron at the mother's expense, and independent from maternal iron stores. It is probably only an additional insufficient nutritional supply of iron, combined with depleted iron stores which might have unfavourable effects to the fetal and neonatal iron metabolism.