ANEMIA

An  18-year-old woman   G3  P2  had prenatal    laboratory  tests   drawn   when    she

was seen    for her first   prenatal    visit   at  18  weeks’  gestation.  The complete

blood   count   showed  the following:  hemoglobin  9.5 g/dL,   hematocrit  28%,

MCV 75, and RDW 17.0.   Her first   child   was delivered   two years   ago,    with

her second  child   born    one year    ago.

Anemia is a hemoglobin concentration <10 g/dL during pregnancy or the
puerperium. This is less than the 12 g/dL that is the lower limit of normal in the
nonpregnant woman.