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Sickle cells have a shorter life span than normal red blood cells.
It has been suggested that pregnancy complications for women with sickle cell anaemia may be reduced by regular blood transfusions. The objective of this review was to assess the effects of a policy of routine blood transfusion for pregnant women with sickle cell disease with a policy of selective transfusion. The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register was searched. A policy of selective transfusion reduced the number of transfusions required at the expense of more frequent pain crises. This is an abstract of a regularly updated, systematic review prepared and maintained by the Cochrane Collaboration.