Introduction
anaemia
ANAEMIA, IRON DEFICIENCY, EARLY PREGNANCY
Maternal iron status during pregnancy is a public health concern given the high prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency (ID) during the gestational period. Estimates indicate that around 25% of pregnant women worldwide suffer from anaemia, mainly caused by ID [It is worth mentioning that maternal iron levels in early pregnancy by themselves strongly influence the progression of iron stores during gestation and a woman’s iron status at the end of pregnancy. Indeed, in the ECLIPSES study, we already found a positive association of iron-related biomarker concentrations between the first and third trimester of gestation [Several studies in developed countries have identified some maternal factors that influence the initial iron status of pregnant women, such as sociodemographic, genetic, and lifestyle characteristics [This study aimed to identify maternal factors associated with ID in early pregnancy in a sample of non-anaemic pregnant women, although with a moderate prevalence of ID, from a European Mediterranean country.