Comparative Study of Hematological Profile Variation in Three Trimesters of Pregnancy

Abstract

Pregnancy or gestation is a physiological condition in which various physiological changes occur. Although pregnancy is a normal phenomenon, several hematological parameters are varied to fulfill the needs of the developing fetus. Sometimes pregnancy becomes complicated due to these changes. Objective: To determine the changes in the hematological profile of healthy pregnant females. Methods: 180 females aged 21 to 34 participated in this study and were placed in a first, second, and third group according to their trimesters, while the fourth group was the control. Each contained 45 females. These women were examined for 12 hematological parameters. Results: When compared with control, it was observed that Hb and RBCs (p-value < 0.05) were lower than control while WBCs (p-value ≤ 0.03) were increased. MCV, MCH and MCHC (p-value < 0.05) showed discontinuous variations along three trimesters. Increase in platelets and neutrophils while a decrease in monocytes, eosinophils, and lymphocytes was observed (p-value <0.02). Conclusions: This study reported several changes in pregnant females' hematological parameters, which helped determine the reference ranges for these parameters. Moreover, pregnant women should have a balanced diet, and their hematological profile should be regularly monitored