Effect of postpartum anaemia on maternal health-related quality of life: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Postpartum anaemia remains a persistent and severe public health issue in many parts of the world. Studies have reported mixed findings on the effects of anaemia during the postpartum period on maternal health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We conducted this systematic review to summarise available evidence to inform public health practitioners on whether 1) anaemia negatively impact maternal health-related quality of life and 2) whether iron supplementation in anaemic women can improve maternal HRQoL during the postpartum period. Methods This review’s protocol was registered online with PROSPERO (CRD42020206618). We extensively searched Embase, PubMed, Cochrane and Scopus through the HINARI website to identify studies that reported either association or effect of postpartum anaemia on fatigue, depression and mother–child interaction. We restricted our search to studies of human females published in English language from databases inception until August 2020. We followed a Cochrane guideline for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analysis to synthesise data . Results Twenty-seven studies were included in this systematic review, with some reporting all three domains (fatigue, depression and mother–child interaction) of HRQoL. Seven observational studies with pooled dichotomous outcomes showed that iron deficient or anaemic women were 1.66 times more likely to experience symptoms of depression than non-anaemic or iron-replete women RR = 1.66 (95% CI: 1.28; 2.16), I 2 = 67.0%, P < 0.01. In three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), pooled continuous data showed statistically significant reduction in fatigue scores in women who received iron supplementation than the control group MD: -1.85 (95% CI: -3.04; -0.67), I 2 = 65.0%, p < 0.06. Two of the four included studies showed that anaemic mothers were less responsive and had negative feelings towards their children than non-anaemic mothers. Conclusion Evidence from this review suggests that postpartum anaemia negatively affects health-related quality of life and that iron replenishment improves both symptoms of fatigue and depression. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether postpartum anaemia affects mother–child interaction.