Long term Iron Deficiency

Hi smile
I have always had low iron stores and I always have heaps of trouble getting levels up. When I fell pregnant with ds (he's nearly 10 months) my levels were very low so for my whole pregnancy I was on 2 iron tablets, the doctor said I couldn't have any more. Since ds was born I've continued the 2 tablets and my iron levels aren't coming up just staying the same. Is this because I'm breastfeeding? Is it bad to have iron levels sooo low for a long time? My doctor said usually people that have my levels can hardly function through the day as they are too tired. I feel tired but I just get on with my day.
Does anyone have any advice on how to get my iron levels up? Oh and I do eat meat.
Sorry for all the questions but my doctor says the only thing I can do is to keep taking the iron tablets. I don't know as it doesn't seem to be working sad Thanks

Hi smile
I have always had low iron stores and I always have heaps of trouble getting levels up. When I fell pregnant with ds (he's nearly 10 months) my levels were very low so for my whole pregnancy I was on 2 iron tablets, the doctor said I couldn't have any more. Since ds was born I've continued the 2 tablets and my iron levels aren't coming up just staying the same. Is this because I'm breastfeeding? Is it bad to have iron levels sooo low for a long time? My doctor said usually people that have my levels can hardly function through the day as they are too tired. I feel tired but I just get on with my day.
Does anyone have any advice on how to get my iron levels up? Oh and I do eat meat.
Sorry for all the questions but my doctor says the only thing I can do is to keep taking the iron tablets. I don't know as it doesn't seem to be working sad Thanks

Hi

I think its time for a new Dr, theres more you can do than take a couple of tablets every day.

I had low iron levels in pregnancy and my Dr recommended a liquid iron supplement - because liquid is far more easily absorbed by the body than tablet form. Try Floradix and take 2 x 10ml doses a day, but along with this you need to increase iron rich foods in your diet.

If your levels are not improving within a few months (get another blood test) then they can give you injections as a booster.

If they still arent improving then its time for other tests to find out if you have something else going on, ie something that's preventing your body from absorbing iron.

Its fairly common in pregnancy and post pregnancy to have low iron levels and they take quite a while to build your levels back up again.

Have a look here for more info.

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/iron_deficiency_adults

I've always been a bit on the low end, perhaps because I rarely eat meat. I was offered iron supplements, but I'm already taking vitamins and don't want any more help getting constipated so close to the end of the pregnancy. I did have a steak the other day and it was okay...but I don't eat red meat for fun.

Only things I could really recommend is looking at ways to drawing out the most iron content in food that you consume. For example, drinking orange juice with chicken is apparently supposed to help with iron absorbtion.

Other than that, I don't really know. You eat red meat and you probably eat leafy greens, but the leafy greens don't have as much iron as the red meat. Eggs and tofu are another alternative.

I had low iron levels in pregnancy and my Dr recommended a liquid iron supplement - because liquid is far more easily absorbed by the body than tablet form. Try Floradix and take 2 x 10ml doses a day, but along with this you need to increase iron rich foods in your diet.

I second the Floradix, my levels were really low with this pregnancy but after a few days of taking the Floradix I felt human again & found I could function a whole lot better than I was.

To help increase your iron levels, you need to improve your absorption. As mentioned with orange juice, it's actually Vitamin C that helps to increase the absorption of non-haem iron, found in green leafy vege's etc. So eating Vitamin C rich foods with non-haem iron rich foods can be beneficial.

Also, there are several foods that decrease iron absorption, including tea (tannin) and coffee.

When DS1 was diagnosed as iron deficient, they also checked him for coelics disease as it can be a cause of it.

As PP mentioned, l'd get a second opinion.

Thanks for replying smile

I will get a second opinion and I do agree I need a new doctor. Thanks for the link Happy Head I will check it out later when I have more time.

Does anyone know if it's bad for baby's breastmilk if mum is iron deficient? Ialked my GP and all she said is it's time for baby to be formula fed WTF!!! Talk about not supporting a breastfeeding mum. It's funny that women still don't get supported from health proffessionals when it comes to breastfeeding.
Thanks everyone smile

hey,
I have always had low iron levels too, and definately breastfeeding can contribute to this.
From my understanding (but not as a health professional) your breast milk contains all the nutrients therefore making a healthy bub but leaving you with none... lol.
As for the formula comment, what the? Not quite sure what your dr was on about??
Also, found out with my 3rd pregnancy as well as low iron I needed vitamin B12 injections, the symptoms are quite simila (exhaustion, fatigue, light headed etc) so it might be worth getting more blood tests done, as well as a second opinion.

Iron tablets gradually raise or maintain iron levels if your diet is inadequate, but liquid iron will restore your iron levels to normal within weeks. You should definitely be on liquid iron as opposed to iron tablets if you are a mum!

You could just ask the pharmacist about liquid iron. Perhaps it isn't suitable for breastfeeding though, I'm not sure.

Once the iron has been raised to a normal level, you could switch back to a low dose of tablet in order to maintain that level?

I too have iron defenciency problems including in pregnancy.years ago,my old dr put me on vit c and iron tabs, the vit c gradually built up my red blood cells as thats what vit c does as well as helping with absorption. The redder the meat,the more iron is in the meat so go for the reddest meat u can find.you probably know this, but it will take months for your levels to build up properly. wink

drinking more water and increasing ur fibre intake should help alliviate the constipation.A second opinion wouldnt be a bad thing and keep getting those levels checked by having bloods monthly smile happy

drinking more water and increasing ur fibre intake should help alliviate the constipation.A second opinion wouldnt be a bad thing and keep getting those levels checked by having bloods monthly smile happy

Thanks everyone smile
I will definately look at getting the liquid iron I didn't realise there was much of a difference. I am in the process of finding a new doctor so hopefully I can find a good one.
Unique1 I had been told about iron infusions from the hospital when I was pregnant and was told that your doctor admits you to hospital for the infusion. I was told that it works really quick so I will discuss that with a new doctor when I get one.
It's funny that I have recieved more helpful information from you lovely ladies than I have ever recieved from my doctor. Thanks again smile smile