If you have heavy periods, what do you do to prevent anemia?

[FourBoysAndAFeline]

Seriously my poor arsehole can't take any more ferrous sulphate tablets 😭

I went to the chemist to get some Spatone or Floradix but I can't see how that could possibly work.

To use ferrous sulphate prophylactically you need at least 200mg.

I know spatone and Floradix is easier to digest but Spatone is 5mg of iron per sachet and Floradix is 15mg of iron.

What do others do?

I can't go on the pill because it turns be into a psycho. No hormones please!

See your GP for some TXA which will help reduce the heavy bleed.

In addition to all of the above that’s been helpful to me, I read the reason it’s better to get iron from heme/meat is because you have other trace elements like copper and b vitamins that help with the absorption of the iron. So I alternate a multivitamin which has all that one day and my ferris sulphate the other day to try and cover it all, without also blocking calcium, magnesium and zinc. I try to help my period by limiting fat and sugar and taking evening primrose and estrogen flushing exercise. Even then it takes ages to get up to a good level and easy to wipe it out again with a few heavy periods. Damn delicious cheese and cake, a girl has to live after all 🤷‍♀️

@Lentil63

This 100 % OP and like you I stayed away from anything hormonal for many many years until my periods were soo heavily I was getting unwell and had no choice but to try it. So far little impact from progesterone but a significant more amount of energy every month x

This.

Can you bear eating liver? Otherwise iron infusion at around £800.

The spinach is for the vitamin c not the iron.

Have you tried ferrous fumerate? I've taken those and they're supposedly gentler on your stomach. They only affected my stomach for about 2 weeks then it calmed down and was completely fine. I took 3x a day for 3 months.

I take a soluble Feraglobin every day.

Spatone wasn't enough and I'd still get turned down to give blood.

I'm not sure but I think I'm going to get some of these, thanks to all those that have mentioned this.

LOL! Imagine having periods so light I could fix things with a "couple of steaks"!

I love steaks! I'm jealous.

The GP told me 2 weeks ago "sometimes with heavy periods we never get on top of the anaemia" which what's happening to me. tranexamic acid tho it helps a little hasn't stopped me being anaemic. just wanted to add to the discussion

Agree that you should only take a good iron supplement every second day

A GP explained to me that Iron tablets should be taken BEFORE eating as if you take them with food they don't absorb so well and constipate more also agree with taking them with vitamin C. I am also trying to have liver at least twice a month, lambs liver curry is one of my favourite foods luckily.

Galfer's Ferrous Fumarate is good. You can get a grey tub behind the counter at Boots but better to get a scan and investigate the cause. Get the tumor removed if that's it.

I take naproxen which helps with pain and blood loss, and then Spatone, red meat and green leafy veg all around my period. This is the first month of taking Spatone and for the first time ever I didn't look like I had two black eyes from blood loss.

Ferroglobin slow release iron tablets. Can get from Tesco or Superdrug. One a day seems to do the trick, I was washed out before

I’ve spent years not knowing this! If it’s not too personal to ask, those of you who have anaemia from heavy periods, just how heavy are they? Can you describe it a bit?
I’ve always struggled with them, but lately, probably my age as I’m 47, they are leaving me looking and feeling wrecked. Blood clots the size of a plum, soaking through pads and onto my clothes, a bit stop/start. Is that the type of heavy to cause anaemia?

Ferrograd for me too. It’s a slow release formulation so it’s different to normal ferrous sulphate tablets. So so so much easier on your tummy.

When I was younger I had this issue. I was told it was because I was vegetarian. I started eating meat and so much folate rich stuff. Half the month I was eating everything I could rich in iron. It did not help.

The coil stopped my issues and then my periods got so much lighter in my 30's. So I had no iron issues, but at 35 I discovered I was perimenopausal and had a tiny window of possibility of pregnancy. So it was weird to miss the days of profuse bleeding, but because they were my fertile years, I was devastated to discover that.

Sorry for the waffle, that was a vote for mirena!

I have been taking ferrous sulphate every second day with a 1000mg of vitamin C.

And tranexamic acid when my period is heavy, though I've started HRT now and the periods are much lighter.

Mine was caused by flooding periods.

I had an endometrial ablation. It was life changing it was so brilliant. But you have to be finished having kids.

Yes that's what mine were like until I went on HRT.

I had to stop in a layby once to change my period pants while I was driving home from the school run as I could feel it pouring out of me.

Plus clots that I could feel slithering out.

My ferritin was 16. (our scale is 12-290)

Have had scans and investigations, two laparoscopies.
I did have polyps and I was SO pleased as I thought once they were gone I would finally have a better time with it all but it made zero difference.
To give GP's and gynaecologists their due, I've always been taken seriously and always been thoroughly investigated and I believe it is just "one of those things".

T. acid helped, but the mirena is life changing for me. I can’t take most hormonal contraception due to migraine with aura, but I’m fine on the mirena. Gone from having to set an alarm in the night to get up and change my pads etc, to almost no periods at all. Utterly fantastic.