The Relationship Between Maternal Anemia and Electronic Fetal Monitoring Patterns

( Am J Obstet Gynecol . 2023;229(4):449.e1–449.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.04.018) Anemia is a common co-occurring diagnosis in pregnancy that is associated with an increased risk of several adverse pregnancy outcomes, including fetal growth restriction, preterm labor, and perinatal death. Prior studies demonstrated that maternal and fetal physiology may be protective against maternal anemia and decreased oxygen delivery to the fetus. In a 2021 study, it was observed that anemic pregnant patients had increased levels of partial pressure of oxygen in both the umbilical artery and vein at delivery compared with patients without anemia. Following these results, the present study sought to investigate how maternal anemia may be connected with electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) patterns associated with fetal hypoxia.