Relative Contributions of Red Cell Catabolism and Dietary Absorption to Fetal Iron Accretion During Pregnancy

The two specific aims of this study are 1) to assess the relative contributions of two major maternal iron sources (i.e. dietary iron intake and red cell catabolism) at supplying iron to the fetus, and 2) to determine the impact of maternal and fetal iron status on placental transfer of these two iron sources in pregnant women and adolescents during the last trimester of pregnancy.