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!

Agree with PP - tranexamic acid to reduce the bleeding in the first place, and ferrous fumerate every day. Ferrous sulphate obliterates my stomach. I hate the iron tablets and stop taking them then get a ferritin of 6 and fall asleep at 7pm… I use a mooncup which for two days needs to be emptied every couple of hours. I think it takes about 30ml? I think last time I estimated the loss it was about 200ml in a period.

Black circles though - is that anaemia? I thought it was just age!

Definitely get your iron checked.

For me, I have to use a super plus tampon (the most absorbent) and double up with a massive pad because I flood.
I flood hourly.
I have to keep tampons and pads in my bag, in my desk drawer, in my car etc.
At night I flood, despite waking 1-2 times a night to change.

And I won't go into details about the clots because you get the picture.

Anemia for me is fatigue, weirdly I get pins and needles in my gums, I get shaky and restless legs, I sleep walk as well (which took me years to figure out was linked the restless legs), I get headaches and inability to concentrate and a few other things but I can't think of them now!

It doesn’t take much bleeding to make you anaemic to be honest. I’ve always had heavyish periods but no clots (or tiny ones). I’ve always had low ferritin in the 10-30 range and barely kept it in range with supplements.

Due to infertility treatment and pregnancy I’ve had no periods for coming up to 2 years. I took Ferrograd daily in pregnancy as I assumed I’d be anaemic. 3 months post partum & breastfeeding my ferritin stores were over 100!

I also have very severe endometriosis which is the cause of the heavy bleeding.

Yes same, 3 pregnancies and long time breastfeeding, my iron was fantastic.

I felt amazing when I was pregnant, the healthiest I’ve ever felt. I’ve wondered about endometriosis tbh, as they used to be painful but not now. I had a scan after recurrent miscarriage, at which the sonographer asked if I had it, but didn’t confirm anything further. I often am shattered, a bit clumsy, at period times my speech is slurred, bones ache, can’t concentrate well, you get the idea. But as young teens, or for me anyway, there’s nothing to compare it with and so it becomes normal for you, and over the years I’ve stopped questioning whether it actually is normal or if I’ve spent my life feeling rubbish compared to everyone else!

Would anyone who had private iron infusions mind telling me approximately how much they cost and how you go about getting one? Iron supplements are doing squat for me. Thanks!

Mine are like this. For 2 days I can get through a super plus tampon every hour.

Cant take hormones due to migraines with auras.

One gynae appointment and I've been booked in for a total hysterectomy next month!

Are you done having children? Could that be an option?

Tranexamic Acid didn't work for me either so I reluctantly agreed to try the coil and it's been life changing.

Following with interest. My ferritin was 8, three months of iron tablets brought it up to 10. But gave me a pretty constant upset stomach. Changed to liquid which didn't make it much better so have stopped taking it. Should go back for another blood test really. Super heavy periods (super plus tampon every hour or so with massive clots for 1-2 days). Won't get coil as endometriosis already gives me pains, can't take pill due to auras in migraines. Transanemic acid makes the clots worse which already slither out unpleasantly. I should really go back to GP but it's exhausting trying to get an appointment.

Black pudding- you need about 3 bowls of spinach to get the same mg of iron that you can get in one black pudding.
Mussels are great too!
Huel also has high iron in it and I have fortified cereal as well.

I'm worried that IV iron is risky. Mine is 7 at the moment and off work.

IV iron used to be risky so it was rarely given.

New products were developed that aren't nearly as risky - and so prescribing has taken off astronomically.

I thought iron injections were given IM? Not IV?

I said upthread that I was fine in pregnancy but I realised that was a massive lie.

I was really bad in pregnancy, it was when I breastfed everything was great.

Just seen the BNF says both IM and IV.

I take vitabiotics feroglobin capsules and spatone as well sometimes, as well as tranexamic acid. I also eat a lot of meat and green vegetables.

Wow I feel so seen reading your comments. Just can’t wait til menopause, but I’d like to have another child too so trying to get the iron levels up to support that. One other thing I forgot to add to my earlier post was that in traditional Chinese medicine, heavy menstrual flow with clots is resolved by supporting the liver through diet and activity. It sounds a bit soo but has helped me get them just a bit lighter and less clotty, thumbnail size instead of palm size, so thought I’d share in case it helps someone else too.

Coil fitted. It's been great ever since. I was increasingly anemic despite trying everything for 6+ months.

Tampon and pad hourly changes for days. Clots that hurt and I could actually feel coming out. Horrible and the pain was bad. Coil has been a godsend. I couldn't get on top of my anemia without it I'm similar age to you.

Me too. Life changing.

Tumour?