Wiegersma AM, et al. - In this cohort study, researchers investigated whether anemia diagnosed in mothers during pregnancy is related to a heightened risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and intellectual disability (ID) in offspring and if the magnitude of the risk differs with regard to the timing of anemia in pregnancy. Using health and population register data from the Stockholm Youth Cohort, they assessed a total of 532,232 nonadoptive children born in Sweden, with follow-up until December 31, 2016. They found an increased risk of the development of ASD, ADHD, and especially ID in offspring in correlation with maternal anemia diagnosed earlier (≤ 30 weeks) in pregnancy vs anemia diagnosed toward the end of pregnancy. Since women of childbearing age commonly develop iron deficiency and anemia, the significance of early screening for iron status and nutritional counseling in antenatal care is highlighted by the findings.