World Anaemia Awareness Day, held annually on 13 February, aims to raise awareness of anaemia and iron deficiency and its impact on global health, as well as promote preventative action.
The WOMAN-2 Trial, which published its results in The Lancet in October 2024, found that women with severe anaemia were three times more likely to have a stillbirth as women with moderate anaemia.
The WOMAN-2 Trial also found that anaemic women are more likely to deliver prematurely and severely anaemic women are seven times more likely to die or nearly die as a result of severe bleeding than those with moderate anaemia.
Given the prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy – In Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia half of all pregnant women are anaemic – immediate action is needed to tackle anaemia before childbirth to improve maternal health.
Professor Ian Roberts, co-lead of the WOMAN-2 Trial, said: “We were shocked to see that women with severe anaemia were three times as likely to have a stillbirth as women with moderate anaemia. They are also seven times more likely to die or nearly die as a result of severe bleeding than those with moderate anaemia. We need urgent action to prevent and treat anaemia in all women of reproductive age.”
