Antenatal care: practice question

A OBG question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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OBG · Antenatal care

Sample item

A woman at 24 weeks has pallor, haemoglobin of 9 g/dL and a microcytic hypochromic smear. She is clinically stable and tolerates oral medication. What is the most appropriate management?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Oral iron with folic acid

Microcytic hypochromic anaemia in pregnancy is usually iron deficiency, and mild to moderate cases in stable women are treated with oral iron plus folic acid. Parenteral iron is for intolerance, malabsorption or late presentation, and transfusion is kept for severe or decompensated anaemia.

Option by option

  • A. No treatment until delivery

    Waiting until delivery exposes mother and fetus to the risks of untreated anaemia.

  • B. Immediate blood transfusion

    Transfusion is for severe anaemia, heart failure or near-term presentation, not a stable woman at this stage.

  • C. Oral iron with folic acid (correct)

    Correct. Oral iron is first-line for moderate iron deficiency in a stable pregnant woman.

  • D. Intramuscular iron dextran

    Parenteral iron is a second-line option for those who cannot take or absorb oral iron.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More OBG questions

Questions about this OBG question

What is the answer to this OBG question?

The best answer is C, Oral iron with folic acid. Microcytic hypochromic anaemia in pregnancy is usually iron deficiency, and mild to moderate cases in stable women are treated with oral iron plus folic acid.

Why is "No treatment until delivery" not the answer?

Waiting until delivery exposes mother and fetus to the risks of untreated anaemia.

Why is "Immediate blood transfusion" not the answer?

Transfusion is for severe anaemia, heart failure or near-term presentation, not a stable woman at this stage.

Why is "Intramuscular iron dextran" not the answer?

Parenteral iron is a second-line option for those who cannot take or absorb oral iron.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Antenatal care in OBG. Parenteral iron is for intolerance, malabsorption or late presentation, and transfusion is kept for severe or decompensated anaemia.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Antenatal care?

Learn management algorithms as steps: PPH, eclampsia, ectopic pregnancy. Then use the flashcards and the other OBG questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.