The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has opened a consultation on evidence relating to screening for iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in pregnancy.
The UK NSC does not currently recommend screening for this condition.
We are asking individuals and organisations to provide feedback on the findings and conclusions of a 2025 evidence map, which was commissioned to review literature on the topic published since the previous evidence review in 2021. Evidence maps are typically the first step in the UK NSC evidence review process.
The 2025 evidence map concludes that the volume and type of new evidence related to screening for IDA in pregnancy is currently insufficient to justify more in-depth work at this time. It recommends that the topic should be re-considered in 3 years’ time.
How to respondTo take part in the consultation, click on the grey ‘View documents’ button on the UK NSC’s anaemia recommendation page. Then submit your response by clicking on the green ‘Submit comments’ button.
The deadline for responses is 11.59pm GMT on 24 February 2026.
About IDA in pregnancyIron deficiency anaemia is caused by a lack of iron and is common in pregnancy. Symptoms can include tiredness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and headaches. Anaemia during pregnancy is associated with various health complications for mother and baby.
IDA accounts for almost 75% cases of anaemia in pregnancy. A multicentre study conducted from 2018 to 2019 across 86 maternity units in the UK and Ireland reported an overall prevalence of IDA during pregnancy of 30%.
Iron tablets are recommended for pregnant women who are anaemic. However, mild-to-moderate IDA is often asymptomatic, and the benefits and harms of treating pregnant women with mild to moderate IDA are not well established.
The evidenceA 2021 UK NSC evidence summary did not recommend screening because the available evidence on the benefits and harms of treatment was limited and deemed poor quality.
The 2025 evidence map identified new published evidence since 2021. It found:
insufficient evidence on maternal and infant outcomes associated with untreated iron deficiency mixed results reported on the benefits and harms of treating pregnant women for IDA continued uncertainty over whether pregnant women with mild to moderate IDA benefit from treatment limited identified evidence to suggest benefits from screening and treating IDA in pregnancy Keep up to dateThe UK NSC blog provides up to date news from the UK NSC. You can register to receive updates direct to your inbox, so there is no need to keep checking for new articles. If you have any questions about this blog article, or about the work of the UK NSC, please email uknsc@dhsc.gov.uk.
seen at 09:33, 2 December in UK National Screening Committee.