The objective of this study was to characterize iron nutritional status of 79 pregnant adolescents, at first prenatal consultation (<= 20 weeks of gestation), in the Primary Health System of a district of Great São Paulo, through the serum ferritin, serum transferrin, hemoglobin and hematocrit determinations. All the hematologic values studied were smaller for the pregnant adolescents in the second gestational trimester than for the ones in the first. Statistically significant differences (p.<.0.05) were found just for hemoglobin. It was verified that 64.3% and 32.1% had, respectively, less than 500.mg and 300.mg of organic iron reservations, and 5.4% presented serious lack of this mineral. By World Health Organization criterion 19.0% of the pregnant women were iron-deficient (Saturation of Transferrin <.16%) and 13.9% were anemic (Hemoglobin.<.11 g/dl).
nutritional status; anemia; iron deficiency; ferritin; pregnancy in adolescence
