Is my Iron level too low or not???????

[BigBadMouse]

I had my iron levels checked at the beginning of Feb - the midwife reported back one month later (having lost the report) that my levels were fine.

I was looking through my notes last night and read the lab report. It said my level was 11.5 with limits 11.5-16.5. I'm wondering if 11.5 is OK or not. Is 11.5-16.5 the sensitivity of the test or the acceptable levels?

I've been feeling worse and worse over the past few weeks. Not sure if it is just chasing around after DD2 (2 and 4 next week) or if it is something more treatable like a low iron level. It is a struggle to move from one room to another and walking up the stairs completely takes it out of me. I find myself having to sit down before I pass out quite often. Admittedly I'm not getting much sleep at all - both DDs waking up several times a night and I can't get comfy, but I just feel ill all the time and really unfit. I feel the need to eat constantly but now I am too tired and just feel ill if I start to eat.

So...is this down to low iron? I'm guessing the level would have gone down since Feb. Would ask my midwife but she is away at the moment. I have under 4 weeks until my due date so not sure if another blood test right now would give me the results in time (given past experiences, plus last DD was early).

Really don't want to take iron but I am getting increasingly worried about how I'm going to cope with labour being this tired already - I have a history of long (OP) labours and will be doing this without a birth partner too as we have no-one else to care for our DDs during labour.

Ooppps, sorry for the essay. Would appreciate any advice / experiences

[ShowOfHands]

Can you start taking liquid iron now? Spatone or floradix.

I had iron levels done regularly when pg as was quite anaemic, level usually 9ish. Results always back the next day.

Go and ask for a blood test.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

11.5 is usually ok. Where I work our cut off is actually 10.5, some hospitals I believe its even 10.

But if you're not feeling well then you should get it re-tested, it could have dropped. The results can come back within a couple of days and even though iron tablets generally need to be taken for 4 weeks to have a full effect/benefit - any days/weeks that you get some in before the birth will be beneficial.

Your practice nurse should be able to do the test for you if the midwife is away.

[reikizen]

At our trust 10 is the 'official' low level but some people don't fit into official levels do they? 11.5 sounds fine but you obviously aren't! TBH you sounds just like a very tired, very pregnant woman but it could be anything. Make sure you tell the midwife next time. Taking spatone won't hurt and it doesn't have the constipation side effects you might be worrying about. Oral iron takes about 6 weeks to start taking effect anyway so start taking it now will help with low iron levels post partum too.

[bonnyweejeaniemccoll]

Hi BBM, I'm 37 weeks and at 32 weeks I think was 10.1. Had the same prob as you with delayed results etc and was prescribed 2 weeks supply of ferrous fumate (gads yuk!) and another blood test after 2 weeks showed no improvement (unsurprisingly after reading oral tabs take about 6 weeks!) My lovely community midwife recc Spatone and within another 2 weeks I had climbed to over 11. As mentioned before it doesn't have any constipation side effects etc and altho has a wee bit of a metallic taste I think its easy to take - and I hate iron supplements! About £6ish for box of 28 in Boots - well worth trying! Good luck and hope this helps - I'm averaging abt 3 1/2 hrs sleep a night and its a killer so I sympathise........

[beforesunrise]

get a blood test tomorrow! if not from mw, at least from gp. i have low iron (9.6) and my consultant described coping with pregnancy, toddler, work and home on low iron as trying to run uphill against the wind in the rain. must say i felt dreadful all the time... a bit better now.

remember that if you have low iron now it can only get lower after birth (with blood loss etc) and then you will REALLY need your strength! good luck

[BigBadMouse]

Thanks ever so much for all the replies . Think I'll try that Spatone stuff. I was worried about the constipation effects so if that doesn't cause any I can;t see any harm in taking it.

I didn't really think 11.5 was low but after seeing what it said on my notes I did start to wonder. Maybe I'm just getting too old for all this pregnancy malarky (or DH is slipping me sedatives to put me off wanting another one ).

[Janus]

Bigbadmouse, my last reading was around 11 and midwife told me to just be aware it was heading low. She said the best thing to do was eat watercress, as it is not cooked all the iron stays in and is super high. I happen to like watercress so no problem, eating loads of bags of salad, if you like it maybe add some of that to whatever else you do? Good luck.

[BigBadMouse]

Hmmmmmm, funnily enough I have been craving watercress an awful lot recently (as well as sunflower seeds ) to the point I have just made a watercress bed and sowed some seed (nothing harvestable yet )...no doubt will bung some into my shopping trolley tomorrow despite the price (I'll tell DH I had it on good authority that I should have some )

[vicsta]

BBM mine was 10 (low)at first test, results of which were lost for 6 wks. Within that time I had a 2nd test which came back as 13 (normal) before the first results magically reappeared! I didn't suffer any ill effects at the time and joked with the MW that it'd have been better if they'd never found them and I'd never known. We agreed that it was probably just a one off (all other tests fine since) but she did tell me I could request another test at any time and if I felt excessively tired and/or breathless to see the GP or practice nurse for a test. Turned into a bit of a ramble this, but my point is, request another test if you feel at all unwell.