Introduction The diagnosis of anemia in pregnancy should be early to prevent complications to mother and baby. It should be simple and safe, and therefore feasibility of reticulocyte parameters may prove beneficial in this regard. Newer reticulocyte parameters have not been studied extensively especially in pregnancy. The present study was conducted to evaluate reticulocyte hemoglobin content (Ret-He), immature reticulocyte fraction, and reticulocyte count and to compare them with serum ferritin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) in assessment anemia in pregnancy. Material and Methods Prospective study included first trimester pregnant females where hemoglobin, MCV, and MCH were categorized and statistically analyzed with serum ferritin and reticulocyte parameters. Results The study included 155 first trimester pregnant females showing statistical difference in Ret-He between all categories of hemoglobin and MCV ( p < 0.05). ROC curve analysis using MCV < 83 fl and MCH <27 pg showed that area under curve for Ret-He at cutoff of 27.8 ng/mL was 0.93 (95% confidence interval 0.90-0.98, sensitivity 93%, specificity 83%). The cutoff of 27.2 ng/mL Ret-He for the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia has specificity of 86%, sensitivity 71%, positive predictive value 0.39, and likelihood ratio of 5.1. Conclusion Ret-He is a feasible and easily available parameter which may be helpful in differentiating between microcytic hypochromic and normocytic normochromic anemia along with frank and borderline anemia in first trimester pregnant females. This in turn is essential to initiate an early therapy so as to prevent the maternal and fetal complications.
Keywords: anemia; immature reticulocyte fraction; pregnancy; reticulocyte hemoglobin content.