During pregnancy, women have an increased iron requirement to sufficiently support herself and her developing baby. Malaria, hookworm, and other parasitic diseases endemic to India can aggravate existing anemia as well as cause anemia.
Malaria can add still other health risks to a pregnancy.
Immigrant Indian women should therefore be screened for malaria, other parasitic disease, and anemia to assess their risk for pregnancy-related complications due to these conditions and to enable early treatment. This can threaten the lives and fertility of women, especially since it is an easily diagnosed cancer that is treatable in its early stages. With the relatively high prevalence of cervical cancer in India, it can be inferred that Indian women may not be obtaining regular Pap smears. Therefore, they could be even less likely to receive regular Pap smears and gynecological exams in the U.S. in light of the increased barriers to health care, including low income and unfamiliarity with the American health care system. This may encourage health care providers to take the opportunity during sick visits of immigrant Indian families to educate the women on the benefits of annual gynecological exams.