Correlation of pregnancy duration with hemoglobin, Ret-He, IL-6, activin B, and hepcidin levels in healthy women

Background and objectives. Hepcidin levels always change during pregnancy, resulting in changes in iron hemostasis. Therefore, this study aims to determine the relationship between length of pregnancy and concentrations of hemoglobin, Ret-He, IL-6, activin B and hepcidin in normal pregnant women. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Jagir Community Health Center. A total of 30 pregnant women were respondents. Hemoglobin and Ret-He levels were measured using a hematology analyzer. IL-6, activin B and hepcidin were measured using ELISA. Results. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the adherent and non-compliant groups in consuming iron supplements on hemoglobin levels (p=0.0042) and IL-6 (p=0.019), while there was no difference in Ret-He levels (p=0.151), activin B (p=0.854) and hepcidin (p=0.189). There was a correlation between gestational age and IL-6 (r=0.207; p=0.273), activin B (r=0.15; p=0.121) and hepcidin (r=0.096; p=0.614). However, there was a negative correlation with hemoglobin (r=0.483; p=0.007) and Ret-He (r=0.505; p=0.004). Conclusion. It was concluded that increasing gestational age will result in a decrease in hemoglobin levels and a decrease in body iron reserves. However, pregnant women who comply with iron supplementation have at least high hemoglobin levels and low IL-6 levels.