Being a woman sucks sometimes doesn’t it?! Ferritin of.

[BentNeckLady]

I’ve been anaemic forever - heavy periods. I’ve been on ferrous fumarate for ten years at least, 3 a day which I had to stop because of nausea and diarrhea then one a day for years which I stopped recently as the endless constipation gave me horrendous internal piles. Nice!

Had a blood test today and my HB is 100 and my ferritin is 3. Needless to say I feel like death warmed up.

Dr desperate for me to take the iron pills again, I’ve had enough of them to last a life time and the highest my ferritin has ever been is 25 so they don’t work particular well for me. I’m so over feeling crap for one reason or another. If I were a man they’d have sorted me out years ago and wouldn’t be pushing for me to take something that makes me feel endlessly ill or in pain!

[ahran2k]

Can't you ask Dr something for heavy periods. There are so many treatments available injections, mirena or ablation. If you do not have a problem with hormones then go for injection/mirena. If you r family is complete then go for ablation. And ask your GP for a consultant referral so the cause of your heavy periods can be found.

[Lellochip]

With a ferritin level of 3 has your doc never thought about an iron infusion instead?

[CrocodilesCry]

My DH is anaemic and has to take several tablets every day. Just saying that it's common in women, but not unknown in men.

[AgnesG]

I take iron every other day after listening to this and reading up about it www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05wpg6n

[user1497873278]

I have suffered most of my adult life I have bowel problems so everything makes me constipated the coil has helped seems I can’t retain iron so I still have some med occasionally when I get very low have been 5 often. I have found a liquid iron is the only one that doesn’t effecte it’s called syrtol

[CheesecakeFactory87]

Have you tried spatone? It's iron water. Absorbs better than the tablets and doesn't give you all the side effects. I would chug a sachet or two every day with a sip of orange juice and I felt like a new woman after two weeks. Definitely worth a shot.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

The bbc link explains research around iron absorption; the body produces something that actually inhibits absorption if you take over a certain amount.

They found the most effective way to raise ferritin was to take 60 Mg once a day on alternate days.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29032957/

[BentNeckLady]

I’m on tranexamic acid and have been for years. It make a massive difference to my periods but obviously not enough. I don’t want a coil and can’t have one anyway because I’ve got issues with my cervix, don’t want anything hormonal because every other hormonal contraceptive I’ve taken has made me moody and fat and my husbands had a vasectomy anyway. I’ve been tested for coeliac twice. THS was borderline a couple of years ago but they don’t seem bothered about that side of things.

Dr referred my for ablation and iron infusion yesterday but it was like swimming through treacle getting her to do it, I felt like I was begging! I’ve been dealing with this shit for my entire adult life, I’m so over It!

Sorry for the epic whinge

[NeurotrashWarrior]

I managed with diet, completely eliminating dairy and caffeine and always having orange juice with iron rich foods. I may have had spatone too, can't remember.

I got it up about 35 points in a month with two periods in that time.

The dairy is an issue due to calcium which absorption; I switched to the calcium free version of oatley (beige box).

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Tsh could improve if your ferritin is over 70.

It's really hard I know, I can feel my levels starting to fall at the moment. I just like milky drinks too much!

I'm breastfeeding so trying to have any dairy in the eve now as the calcium is obviously important.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

But maybe ask for thyroid test again? Make sure it's in the morning.

[VirtualHamster]

Have you ever been tested for coeliac disease? I had years of iron tablets not making a difference before I was diagnosed. Once I went gluten free, it sorted the anaemia which then improved the heavy periods.

[BentNeckLady]

Yes to coeliac test - twice, both negative.

Interesting about the milk. I didn’t realise the problem with tea and coffee was the milk in It, I always thought it was the caffeine. I don’t know if I could manage without milk altogether. Can you make porridge with oat milk etc?

Picked up some feroglobin and vitamin c tablets on the way back from work

[woodencoffeetable]

iv iron is heavy stuff, with potentially serious side effects.
it's last resort type of stuff.
with anaemia you have to consider that it's a symptom of something else.

for women often heavy periods. coeliacs or ibd or internal bleeding (ulcers) can also be a cause.
coeliacs: did you have a blood test or also a biopsy via a colonoscopy? the blood test alone is sometimes not enough for diagnosis.

[woodencoffeetable]

porridge with oat milk tastes great

[Conrad79]

My ferritin is

[NamiSwan]

@bentnecklady it's not actually the caffeine in tea and coffee, it's the tannins. So any tea or coffee inhibits iron absorption, including decaf, and many herbal teas. Also red wine (which also has tannins in it) and dairy (or anything high in calcium). Google tannin containing products to make sure you don't have anything with tannin in it an hour before or after eating or taking your iron tablets.

I had a HB of 9 and ferritin level of 8 last year. I have heavy periods and am vegetarian, as well as heavy tea drinker. Managed to get HB up to 12 and ferritin to 63 in 6 months through twice daily ferrous fumerate, and timing food, drink and iron tablets so I took my iron at least an hour apart from tea, and tea an hour apart from any food. I really had to be quite strict with myself to see any change.

[NamiSwan]

To clarify my HB levels in g/l which I've just realised you quoted yours in were 91 and 122!

[NeurotrashWarrior]

I make porridge with water, just cook it a bit longer.