I have extremely heavy periods- during them I cannot leave the house as the bleeding is so severe and I get so dizzy.
I take ferrous fumarate (x2 a day ) have done for 3 years now, gp said add spatone if I really thought I needed to which I did and now also feroglobin liquid.
Im exhausted and can’t function , a 10 min walk makes me so exhausted I have to sleep afterwards, I get breathless. The gp told me ‘this ISNT biological’ asked me to do a depression questionnaire but so many questions were focused on fatigue issues that she scored me as being depressed (I’m not)
My ferritin is 9 and my haemoglobin 113 of relevant - they said ferrous fumarate is all they can/ will prescribe but it’s not the cause of my issues so I don’t know what to do
Join the discussion and meet other Mumsnetters on our free online chat forum.
Chat
Would this be making me feel so unwell as my gp disagrees?
Littleladybugs · 10/02/2024 11:34
Cyclingforcake · 10/02/2024 11:53
I work in pre-op rather than GP but we always consider a ferritin < 30 as iron depleted and try to replace it even if Hb is normal. (And incidentally Hb 113 is anaemic and women shouldn’t have a lower Hb than men despite historical references ranges but I won’t get on that soap box today.)
an iron transfusion might really help and some proper treatment for those heavy periods so you stop loosing so much iron every month. Have you referred to a gynaecologist?
NeverDropYourMooncup · 10/02/2024 11:50
If you are extremely anaemic, TTC really isn't a good idea right now. Not only does it reduce your chances of conception, it increases the risk of miscarriage, becoming extremely unwell if you do miscarry and puts both mum and baby at risk if the pregnancy goes to term. And if you are unfortunate enough to also have HG or 'just' bad morning sickness, you have absolutely no reserves to cope with that.
I sympathise, I really do - but I think right now, you'd be putting yourself at greater risk with pregnancy and you need to think about taking that off the table whilst you get up to a healthy level.
ODFOx · 10/02/2024 12:08
Have you been scanned for fibroids? It could tie in with the heavy periods, impact your ttc and be adding to your fatigue.
Alittlecommonsense · 10/02/2024 12:31
I would ignore the comments telling you not to try to conceive, it's v common for menstruating women to be anaemic and since normal lower limit is 120, 113 isn't extremely anaemic as one poster wrote.
Also, did you know that iron isn't absorbed well if you take it with food? It reduces the bioavailability. In the past the advice was to take it once a day with orange juice! Newest guidelines say take it on an empty stomach though...
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
Paw2024 · 10/02/2024 12:59
I take mine with a fizzy vitamin c tablet in water which seems to be a decent compromise
OP you must feel shit, my ferritin is 66 and I'm actively trying to increase it for hair growth
Alittlecommonsense · 10/02/2024 12:31
I would ignore the comments telling you not to try to conceive, it's v common for menstruating women to be anaemic and since normal lower limit is 120, 113 isn't extremely anaemic as one poster wrote.
Also, did you know that iron isn't absorbed well if you take it with food? It reduces the bioavailability. In the past the advice was to take it once a day with orange juice! Newest guidelines say take it on an empty stomach though...
Alittlecommonsense · 10/02/2024 12:31
I would ignore the comments telling you not to try to conceive, it's v common for menstruating women to be anaemic and since normal lower limit is 120, 113 isn't extremely anaemic as one poster wrote.
Also, did you know that iron isn't absorbed well if you take it with food? It reduces the bioavailability. In the past the advice was to take it once a day with orange juice! Newest guidelines say take it on an empty stomach though...
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.