Effects of Iron tablets...

[peppapighastakenovermylife]

Lovely topic here

I am 36 weeks pregnant.

I started taking iron tablets 3 weeks ago. Tried spatone but it wasnt getting my iron up enough. Iron tablets quickly caused mild constipation - not bad but definitely there.

Since sunday night though things have gone completely the opposite way . I know iron tablets make lots of women constipated but can give some women diarrhoeah. Is it possible for them to do one thing for a couple of weeks and then the opposite?!

Am absolutely fine - eating fine, dont really feel sick, no signs of a bug - just normal late pregnancy exhaustion.

Do you think its the iron or something else?

is this your first pregnancy?
if so - sounds like your body may be preparing you for labour.
(take this as a blessing, with subsequent labours, you often don't have the time to clear yourself out first!)

If labour is still in the future, then unless you ate something like 25 prunes or similar, or have some sort of stomach bug, no idea what it is.....as iron tablets do not cure constipation!

maybe your baby is starting to make its move....

No it is number three and have never had this before (ignores what may well have therefore happened in labour [Grin]).

Bit early for labour - will keep an eye on it. Have been having a lot of braxton hicks.

Certainly not having a prune craving

Iron tablets can cause diarrhoea sometimes.

How much Spatone were you taking? Iron tablets really didn't agree with me either, so on MW's advice I took one sachet of Spatone twice a day mixed with orange juice, which is meant to aid iron absorption. I also avoided drinking tea as that apparently can diminish iron absorption. It didn't get my levels up as high as the iron tablets had, but was just enough to prevent me having to go back on them.

I was taking 3 sachets a day in the end and it was having very little effect. I don't drink tea or eat much dairy - I think I really needed the tablets.

It just seems strange that they had one effect at first and now this - unless it is something else I guess.