During which trimester are iron requirements the highest?

During pregnancy, iron requirements increase significantly due to the growing fetal needs, the expansion of maternal blood volume, and the increased demand for red blood cells. The highest iron requirements occur in the third trimester.

In this stage of pregnancy, the fetus is growing rapidly, and the mother's body needs to supply adequate iron to support fetal development and prepare for childbirth. By the third trimester, the mother's blood volume has expanded dramatically, further increasing the need for iron to ensure both maternal and fetal iron stores are sufficient.

It's also important to note that the body’s ability to absorb iron from dietary sources increases during pregnancy, especially in the third trimester, in part to meet these heightened demands. In contrast, while iron requirements do increase in the first and second trimesters, they are not as pronounced as in the third trimester, where the most significant physiological changes and demands occur.