Comparison of serum and breast milk ferritin with some hematological parameters in the perinatal period.

Hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum iron, total serum iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation and ferritin levels of 27 pregnant women and their babies at delivery and at 8-10 weeks of age and of their mature breast milk were determined. Eighteen pregnant women with iron deficiency anemia and 9 healthy pregnant women as controls constituted the groups in this study. Excepting serum iron (p < 0.05) no significant differences were found between any of the remaining parameters in cord blood of the anemic and control groups. While the hematological parameters in sera of babies of the anemic and control mothers showed no significant differences at 8-10 weeks of age, the mean ferritin level at 8-10 weeks in breast milk of anemic mothers was significantly lower than of controls (p > 0.02). Besides, a significant relation (r:0.535) was found between the ferritin values of the cord blood and of the infants' sera at 8-10 weeks of age.